Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Fáilte to our distinguished guests. Today is World Animal Day. Unfortunately, it is nothing for Ireland to boast about when it comes to dog welfare. During the summer, there was the very quiet release of the control of dogs statistics, which showed a 95% increase in stray dogs entering pounds. It would not come as a surprise to anybody who listened any of the times I raised this issue in the House and flagged that we were facing a tsunami of unwanted dogs post-Covid. Some 8,116 dogs entered pounds in 2022, compared with 4,165 in 2021. Likewise, the number of dogs euthanised has doubled. The statistics are firmly going in the wrong direction. Unfortunately, to further confirm that, there have been two more reports in the past 24 hours. The first was carried out by Madra Dog Rescue, which carried out the first census of homeless dogs. It found that 3,227 dogs are currently awaiting rehoming, with hundreds more on waiting lists to be surrendered. Today, the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, ISCPA, released findings of a survey it had carried out by Amárach Research. It found that the number of abandoned dogs is at an unprecedented level.

Interestingly, the survey also looked at the reasons people abandon dogs. I think 40% of people said they would love to have a dog but the reasons they cannot have been raised in this House by me, such as restrictions on pet ownership for renters. It is a big issue for people who would love to have dogs. I have repeatedly raised the issue. It is not fair that if somebody who is a renter and a dog lover or wants to have a pet cannot do that because of restrictions in the Residential Tenancies Act 2004. It is not fair on children growing up in such households that they do not have exposure to pets and the empathy it teaches them.

The other issue raised about dog owners was increasing costs of veterinary care, which are way above the rate of inflation, particularly since corporate veterinary practices came into the country and bought up a lot of the family practice. There has been a huge increase and spike in veterinary costs. It is a reason people on low incomes are forced to surrender their dogs or have their dogs euthanised as they cannot afford ongoing medication for them.

Tomorrow, the Seanad will again debate my Bill, the Animal Health and Welfare (Dogs) Bill 2022, which would alleviate some of the pressure on rescues by allowing dogs seized on welfare grounds to be rehomed. Broader legislative reform is needed. I would welcome a debate in this House on the matter, given that we currently have a very light schedule in the Seanad. It is warranted that we have a debate on dog welfare.