Ms Jessica Reid:

One of the groups that we are associated with is HUG. We saved 139 dogs last year, and just over 100 of those were exported. Regardless of whether dogs are sent abroad or homed in Ireland, every dog is spayed or neutered, microchipped and vaccinated, leading to a cost of €200 to €300 per dog rehomed. Thousands of dogs need this kind of care and attention before they can have the opportunity to be rehomed.