County council gets 25 calls about lost dogs every week

MEATH County Council's environmental phone line deals with about 25 calls about lost and found dogs each week, the local authority said following a recent protest at County Hall in Navan over the lack of a dog pound in the county.

Meath County Council said it was trying to identify a suitable site for the purpose of providing a pound for stray dogs, said a spokesman. “It is council policy to provide a pound when a suitable site has been identified and the necessary financial resources become available,” he said.

Recently elected council chairman, Colr Nicholas Killian, identified the lack of a dog pound as one of his priorities for the coming year.

The county council spokesman said that the council was satisfied that it fully complied with the requirements of the 1986 Control of Dogs Act, and this included implementing a caring and humane policy towards stray or abandoned dogs. He commented: “Dogs, other than those surrendered, are kept for at least five days before they are put to sleep. The five days is to give an opportunity to the dog owners to reclaim their dogs.”

In the case of surrendered dogs, the five days did not necessarily apply as the owner was requested to sign a surrender form agreeing to surrender the dog(s). Dogs were surrendered either because they were dangerous, had bitten members of the public, or were surrendered on foot of a court order, he added.

The spokesman said that Meath County Council could not accept the assertion that is did not carry out its statutory functions in relation to the Control of Dogs Act 1986 other than in a humane and caring manner.

He confirmed that the council used the dog pound facilities of Louth County Council, which is a state-of-the-art facility. On occasions, dogs are transported to a dog sanctuary in Collon. The Collon sanctuary's raison d'etre was the welfare of animals. “They do not put dogs to sleep,” the spokesman said. Meath County Council also is satisfied that the care provided by the Collon sanctuary is of the highest standard.

Meath County Council's phone line for lost or found dogs is (046) 909 7200.