James Browne (Wexford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

On behalf of the Minister for Rural and Community Development, I thank Senator Boylan for affording me the opportunity to speak on this very important matter. I understand there has been some concern about this issue.

The Department of Rural and Community Development has policy responsibility for dog control and dog-breeding establishments, while the local authorities are responsible for all operational activities. These responsibilities include the dog-licensing and dog-warden service and the management and operation of the local authority pounds or shelters. The Department of Rural and Community Development has no involvement in these operational activities.

With regard to the provision of pounds and shelters, section 15(2) of the Control of Dogs Act 1986 empowers local authorities to enter into arrangements with any person for the provision and maintenance of dog pounds or shelters. The Act also provides for such persons or organisations to carry out the functions of the local authority under the Act with regard to the acceptance, detention, disposal and destruction of stray or unwanted dogs.

Section 15(3) of the 1986 Act empowers local authorities to enter into arrangements with any other local authority, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISPCA, or a person connected with animal welfare, for the exercise of all or any of its functions, other than its functions under sections 17 or 30 of the Act. The procurement of any service related to local authority pounds is therefore a matter for each local authority and the management and operation of such pounds or shelters are matters solely for the relevant local authority. Similarly, the enforcement of welfare standards for all animals, including the welfare of dogs in pounds or shelters, is a matter for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 and one in which the Minister's Department has no direct role.

The Department of Rural and Community Development publishes annual statistics on local authority dog-related activities including statistics on local authority pounds and stray and unwanted dogs and makes them available at gov.ie. The 2021 dog-control statistics, made up of returns from all local authorities, indicate that there are 34 local authority dog shelters or pounds. I am pleased to note that the number of stray, seized and unwanted dogs entering local authority pounds is decreasing year on year. The figures are down from more than 26,000 in 2002 to 4,270 in 2021. This figure was 5,310 in 2020; 9,162 in 2019; 9,961 in 2018; and 11,774 in 2017.

Similarly, the total number of dogs euthanised in local authority pounds has reduced dramatically in recent years. In 2021, 168 dogs were euthanised in local authority pounds which was down from 172 in 2020 and 1,674 in 2016. This continues the year-on-year annual trend in the decline in the number of dogs euthanised which is down from just over 215,000 in 2002.

These figures show the tremendous work being done by the local authority dog warden and pound service in the re-homing of dogs and their active engagement with dog welfare groups and charities. Some 1,077 dogs were re-homed directly by local authority pounds and 1,934 were transferred to dog welfare groups for re-homing in 2021. In 2020, 1,341 dogs were re-homed directly and 2,545 were transferred to dog welfare groups.

These statistics also demonstrate the success of the neutering and microchipping programmes operated by animal welfare charities. These programmes operated by some animal welfare charities, with some limited support from the Minister's Department, have successfully reduced the number of unwanted litters of puppies. Ongoing microchipping has also facilitated the reunification of 1,064 dogs with their owners in 2021 and of 1,286 in 2020 and 1,924 in 2019.