Dogs Trust

What we do

Just like you, we love dogs and want the very best for every one of them!

Thanks to our amazing supporters, we can carry out the following work, to help improve the welfare of dogs all across Ireland.

For dogs in the future:

Rescuing

We take in and rehome dogs from local authority dog pounds all over Ireland, following their statutory five day stay in the pound, if they have not been rehomed or reclaimed - this function is the core of our work in our Rehoming Centre in Dublin; as helping vulnerable dogs is our number one priority.

We also take in dogs from individuals, (providing we have available space to do so), for all sorts of reasons: from changes in accommodation and finances, to relationship breakdowns and family crises. See more HERE.

Rehabilitating

Sadly, many of the dogs who arrive into our care haven't had the best start in life and may not be immediately ready to find a new home. With our dedicated Veterinary, Training & Behaviour and Canine Carer teams, we get dogs back on their paws and ready for adoption, no matter how long it takes.

Rehoming

Since 2009, we have rehomed over 21,000 Irish dogs. Our Rehoming Centre is located in Dublin but thanks to our Regional Rehoming programme, we can rehome dogs all over Ireland without the need for adopters to travel to Dublin.

We rehomed 646 dogs in 2022.

Find out how our Rehoming Process works HERE.

Education

Active since 2005, the Dogs Trust Education team has delivered 19,940 workshops to schools and in our local communities.

Educating children and adults about responsible dog ownership and safety is an important part of what we do at Dogs Trust.

See HERE for more information.

Research

Research is an important part of the work we do at Dogs Trust - it helps us ensure that our policies and practices are based on evidence, and we are doing the best we can for the dogs in our care. It also helps to inform the wider work that we do, such as offering advice to individuals, organisations and governments on topics relating to dog behaviour and welfare.

For example, we were able to establish that 72% of people were unaware of the laws surrounding the Sale, Supply and Advertising of dogs, prompting us to launch our #SoldAPup campaign to help stamp out puppy farming in Ireland.

Promoting Responsible Dog Ownership

Dogs are amazing creatures and just like you, we don't want the general public to bear any resentment towards them for issues like dog fouling, so we promote responsible dog ownership in a fun and informative way, such as our annual dog fouling campaign, The Big Scoop.

We are also big advocates of Microchipping (it's the law) and that it's Nicer to Neuter.

Dog School Training

We care for hundreds of dogs every year - but we are increasingly aware that dogs are surrendered because they have developed behaviours their owners find difficult to live with.

Our experienced trainers aim to provide high quality, welfare friendly advice on dog training and behaviour during our fun, educational classes.

We want to help dog owners to form a life-long bond with their dogs, have a good understanding of the behaviour of their dog and avoid the common pitfalls that can lead to problem behaviours.

Advocacy

There are many issues in Ireland regarding dog welfare that need to be improved and we believe that the best way to do this is to work with the people who can effect change. Often this is a slow process but rest assured, we are always working in the background on making Ireland a better place to be a dog and a dog owner.

Like you, one of our top priorities is to stamp out puppy farming in Ireland and to ensure the legislation surrounding the Sale, Supply and Advertising of dogs is enforced effectively and robustly.

The welfare of all dogs in Ireland is of the upmost importance to us, including racing Greyhounds and we have campaigned for some time to improve welfare standards and the traceability of these dogs and promote them as the amazing family pets they can make.

Please see HERE for more.