Dogs Trust Concerned at Increase in Dogs Being Euthanised in Pounds

As the dog crisis in Ireland continues, we are extremely concerned about the volume of dogs being abandoned and, sadly, in many cases, facing euthanasia in Irish Local Authority Dog Pounds. 

Yesterday, the release of the Irish Dog Control Statistics by the Department of Rural and Community Development revealed the number of dogs being ‘put to sleep’ has grown by 10%, going from 596 in 2023 to 655 in 2024. Under the Control of Dogs Act, dogs that have completed their mandatory five-day stay in Irish Dog Pounds can be euthanised to create space, if the pound cannot rehome them or find a rescue with space to take them. Even more worrying is the fact that this figure is up 93% when compared to 2022.

However, the volume of dogs entering Irish Dog Pounds decreased slightly in 2024 compared to the previous year. Dropping by 6%, the figure shows that almost 500 fewer stray, surrendered or seized dogs (7,510 in 2023 vs 7,041 in 2024) entered the pound system. While a reduction in these figures is positive, unfortunately, it does not tell the whole story, as many animal welfare charities are still being pushed to breaking point as they take in surrendered dogs from families who can no longer care for their dogs. It also calls into question the increase in dogs being put to sleep, as with fewer dogs entering pounds, the pressure to house or rehome dogs should be less, yet the percentage of dogs being euthanised has risen by 1.4%.

We do however welcome the significant increase in detail and background information recorded and outlined for the 2024 report. The report now includes information on the sex, age and breed of dogs entering pounds; whether a dog is neutered or microchipped; if a dog is pregnant; and the reasons dogs are being surrendered. A section on puppies born in Dog Breeding Establishments has also been included, but the report advises that, unfortunately, the information has not been uniformly gathered.

Sarah Lynch, Policy, Compliance and Research Manager at Dogs Trust Ireland, advises: “While it is indeed very concerning to see the number of dogs being put to sleep in pounds increase again this year, we are pleased to see that there is so much more background information being recorded. We have long been calling for more in-depth analysis of what the Local Authority Pounds are seeing in terms of why dogs are coming into their care. As mentioned in the report, it is only by gathering and analysing this data over time that we can begin to build a clearer picture of why dogs are being surrendered. This will allow us to create education and early prevention programmes to stop dogs from needing to be surrendered in the first place.”

While the updates to the report are welcome, we would still like to see even further detail added. We would like to see additional details around why dogs are being put to sleep in pounds, as well as more robust gathering of information about Dog Breeding Establishments.