There has been an “alarming” 54 per cent increase in the number of animals surrendered in Dublin so far this year, according to the Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA).
An increasing return to working in the office, a lack of pet-friendly rental accommodation and a lack of training and socialisation leading to behavioural issues have seen surrender requests made to the charity increase from 871 in 2023 to 1,336 this year.
Alongside the surrenders made to its 32-acre Rathfarnham shelter, the animal welfare charity warned that ambulance calls have hit a record high, with a 71 per cent increase from 692 in 2023 to 1,186 so far this year.
Its animal ambulance service responds to calls from the public concerning animal neglect, cruelty or abandonment, alongside calls over potentially injured wild animals.
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This is amid an overall 20 per cent increase to 1,142 in the number of animal cruelty cases.
“Worryingly, the charity has experienced an unprecedented demand for our services, and this upward trend simply cannot continue,” said DSPCA chief executive Pat Watt.
Mr Watt puts the surge in calls made to the charity’s animal ambulance service down to a heightened public awareness of welfare issues, with some cases resulting in improvement notices while critical cases result in seizures, he said.
The increase in animal cruelty is largely down to a higher number of pets and a subsequently higher number of owners disposed to “generally abusive behaviour”, he said.
Mental health issues and addiction can also lead to animal neglect, he said.
Mr Watt hopes one case this week which resulted in a prosecution and custodial sentence will act as a “significant deterrent”.
The case involved Lucky, a 10-year-old Jack Russell whose owner was jailed for cruelty, including leaving the dog fighting for its life when an untreated tumour “the size of a huge grapefruit” ruptured.
Mr Watts, speaking generally about other cases, said: “We’ve had dogs and cats in severe physical condition due to either starvation, dehydration, skin diseases, or they’ve been physically abused or beaten, so we’ve seen everything.
“It’s hard for our teams to see it in real life.
“Our primary focus is to continue to educate the public as to the importance of animal welfare and responsible pet ownership. Collectively, we can all do better and provide a voice for the voiceless animals we care for every day at the shelter,” he said.
On Thursday, the animal welfare charity launched its Christmas fundraising appeal with charity ambassadors including Olympic gold medallist Kellie Harrington, Max Deegan and Kathy Baker calling on the public to “be a good human” this Christmas.
The charity relies heavily on donations to rescue, rehabilitate and rehome animals in its care, saying it has saved almost 3,000 animals so far in 2024.
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