COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, September 09, 2013
QUESTION NO. 17
QUESTION: Councillor G. O'Connell
To ask the Manager for a report on the recent decision to award the Dog Pounding Service to Ashton Kennels and specifically to address the following and to make a statement on the matter:
- Does the decision comply with the following "2.—(1) Every local authority shall provide in the functional area of such authority such pounds as the county registrar shall, with the approval of the Minister, direct either generally or in any particular case, and every local authority shall maintain in accordance with this Act every pound provided by them under this Act. (Pounds Act 1935)"
-Exactly how many kennels are at Ashton??
- Do they have isolation kennels? How many kennels?
- How many dogs (from all areas not just SDCC) have been euthanized (pts) since 1st of August.
- What breeds of dogs have been euthanized (pts)
- How many SDCC dogs have gone to rescue? What rescues?
- How do they plan to deal with disease outbreaks (especially given that appear to they have lots of volunteers coming and going walking dogs)?
- What arrangements are in place for dogs that require veterinary treatment?
- If the pts rate goes up by the end of the year will the council reconsider their decision or carry on with Ashton??
- Will there be regular veterinary inspections, if yes, who will carry out them out , will it be done by the same veterinary inspectors that deemed Ashton suitable in the first place or will it be carried out by separate and independent inspectors?
- What has SDCC done to alert the public to the new venue for the dog pound and how has it been publicised - and what will be done to make people aware that the pound has moved across the city to Ashton. Dogs are often left in pounds because their owners don't know where or sometimes what a pound is. What onus is on the council to let people know of the change in service
- What role, if any, does SDCC recognise can be played by animal welfare organisations, e.g. A Dogs Life, in the rescue and welfare of dogs vis a vis the Councils obligations in this area?
- What animal welfare and rehoming implications were considered when awarding and locating a new pound contract and the rehoming of dogs by both the public and animal welfare groups; was it prioritised when achieving an economically advantageous tender?
REPLY:
In March 2013, South Dublin County Council, Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council jointly invited tenders for the provision of a dog pound service for South Dublin County Council and a dog warden and dog pound service for Fingal County Council and Dublin City Council. Following assessment of the tender submissions, which included inspections by Veterinary Inspectors to confirm the adequacy of the facilities from a welfare perspective, the Local Authorities were satisfied that Ashton Dog Pound was best placed to provide the service and the contract was awarded accordingly. The contract came into effect on 1st August 2013.
Section 15 of the Control of Dogs Act 1986, as amended, outlines the duties of a local authority with Section 15 (2) providing for the establishment and maintenance of "one or more shelters for dogs seized, accepted or detained under any of the provisions of this Act" and authorises the local authority to "enter into arrangements with any person for the provision and maintenance of such shelters and for the exercise by such person of the functions of the local authority under this Act, in respect of the acceptance, detention, disposal and destruction of stray and unwanted dogs".
The kennels at Ashton Dog Pound are of various sizes to accommodate the wide variety of dogs which are seized/surrendered, with eighty-eight (88) kennels currently available, three of which are doubles, providing accommodation for a total of ninety-one dogs from this Council's administrative area. An additional four (4) isolation kennels are available with capacity for additional isolation kennels, if required.
To date, a total of eighty-four (84) dogs from South Dublin County have entered the pound, of which seventy (70) were strays, seven (7) were surrendered and seven (7) were seized. One (1) was dead on entry to the pound with twenty-three (23) reclaimed by owners. A total of thirty-eight (38) have been re-homed with twelve (12) going to members of the public and twenty-six (26) going to the following animal rescue bodies: Dogs trust Ireland and UK, DSPCA, Dundalk Dog Rescue and Irish Animal Rescue. Nineteen (19) remain in the pound, three (3) of which were seeized.
Ashton Dog Pound is actively working to maintain South Dublin County Council's low put-to-sleep rate with only three (3) dogs euthanised to date, all of which were unsuitable for re-homing due to aggressive behaviour. Two (2) of these dogs were stray, one (1) mongrel and one (1) pitbull and one (1) German Shepherd was surrendered.
The kennels are maintained to a high standard with all kennels being disinfected daily and checked on an hourly basis for deposits. Dogs that are suspected to be unwell are isolated with access to the isolation kennels restricted. Ashton Dog Pound recognises that cleanliness is important to the well being of dogs in enclosed situations and therefore, ensures that all kennels are cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis with hourly inspections of kennels. All dogs are housed in individual kennels, with fleece vet beds in plastic beds. Bedding is removed and washed on a daily basis and changed before a new dog enters a previously used kennel. All animals showing any malaise are treated by a Veterinary Practitioner who visits the pound on a daily basis. Twenty-four (24) hour emergency cover is also provided by the Veterinary Practitioner. Regular, unannounced inspections of the pound will be carried out by the Council's Veterinary Practitioners who are registered with the Register of Veterinary Practitioners mantained by the Veterinary Council of Ireland.
As well as the Council's website, www.sdcc.ie , being updated to reflect the relocation of the dog pound, articles were carried in several newspapers, local and national, as well as on www.journal.ie on this matter. Ashton Dog Pound located in Castleknock is geographically closer to this County.
Ashton Dog Pound currently deals with a number of re-homing and animal welfare groups including the following: Dogs Trust, Heathlands, Dundalk Dogs, DSPCA, Stokenchurch, Cara Rescue, Labrador Rescue UK and are very willing to work with A Dog's Life should this organisation choose to do so.