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THE NUMBER OF dogs destroyed in Irish pounds has shrunk by 40%, according to new statistics.

The latest dog control report released by the Department of Rural and Community Development, suggests that 916 dogs, not counting registered greyhounds) were put to sleep in Irish pounds in 2017, a 40% reduction from the 1,522 strays who suffered the same fate the previous year.

Meanwhile, 11,559 dogs entered Irish pounds last year, an 8% drop from the 12,549 who entered such institutions in 2016.

Welcoming the figures, Dogs Trust said that more work remains to be done as part of a ‘prevention is better than cure’ approach.

“Despite a positive reduction in euthanasia figures, there are still a worryingly high number of dogs entering the pound system,” said director at the charity Suzie Carley.

Pounds

It is reassuring that there continued to be a large number of dogs being rescued from the local authority pound by animal welfare groups, however it is vital that we get to the root cause of why these dogs are ending up in the pound system to begin with.

The number of dogs being surrendered to pounds remains high.

3,135 dogs were given up by their owners to local authorities last year, a virtual carbon copy of the previous year’s statistics.

Dogs Trust also drew particular attention to the issues facing registered greyhounds in Ireland.

Last year saw a 15% increase on the number of such greyhounds entering pounds. Of those 215, 180 were surrendered by their owners, and 80 (37%) were destroyed.