Well having heard from HiHoSilver about the awful position in Ireland, I'm glad that UK charities are doing whatever they can to help. Perhaps it needs more publicity?

Yes totaly agree
Possibly publicity for us in the UK to help - and whatever publicity is needed over there to try and educate people. So glad the Dogs Trust has gone out there

But I do have to say that the people who care - like HiHoSilver by the sounds of things - care so much. I think the work they do is amazing and I have no idea how they have the emotional reserves to do what they are doing

I guess as dog lovers we have to work on our own problems, while at the same time trying to help out where we can

Don't we do enough here already then by taking dogs ? what about education and help in Ireland so they can tackle the problem out there at the root of the problem, nothing will be done if dogs can be sent here for rehoming, i'm not saying don't help but the help should be given in Ireland not sending thousands of dogs here. What about our stray/abandoned dog problem here ?

There are lots of good people trying to help in Ireland, i know some through rescue work i get involved with but education is needed not just sending the dogs here, it won't solve anything

I've never heard anything like it the Catholic church dictating regarding animals, its so draconian. Religeon has a lot to answer for IMO.

Shouldn't we be trying to change people's view on owning dogs in Ireland - just taking the dogs away isn't changing anything from the looks of it in fact it could be seen as enabling the present situation to continue.

The 2nd 1/2 of the sentence I said there said publicity and education over there
If you look you will see I was replying to Wilbar, the fact that she didnt know it was as bad as it is, and many people in the UK dont, says to me that some publicity IS needed

I said education, I said publicity, I always do

imo we help the ones we can AND try and make the situation better so there become less and less long term

If enough people in the UK really know what it is like and shout out against it then it may help shame the irish governemnt into doing more

How do you suggest going about this education?? Im in if I can help


Just also want to add
Every week on my FB page I get updates of the dogs going into the pound that Mia was in
Very regularly there are dogs found in such terrible states that would make the UK news if it was over here
It is heartbreaking seeing the photographs, hearing from the people shaving the matts and tending the wounds, while the dogs begin to grow and thrive under the first kindness they have ever known

I dont know the extent of the problem over there, I only know about one tiny rescue dealing with 1 small area
- but until I had heard of them I really didnt think things were all that bad there

I foster for a rescue and do fundraising, a lot of the dogs they rehome are brought in from Ireland, i do know a lot of other rescues do the same, and the Dogs Trust and probably a lot of other well known rescues do too.

I know all about the state of some of the dogs but there are dogs in this country that come i like that too, Ireland isn't exclusive in that.

As for education, maybe start in schools, like the dogs being taken in for reading sessions with the kids, in turn this would have a knock on effect with the parents, meets and greets also would be good to publicise the problem

Good for you,fight for your own,but I kid you not,it's the dark ages here.Taking our dogs doesn't solve OUR problem but it sure does solve the problem for the shivering wrecks we send you who have no chance at all here.You should see some of the rescue kennels in Ireland.Dogs chained up 24/7 because the rescue can't afford decent fencing.You'll probably take this wrong but they're kept clean,fed and safe and they have a chance for a life.Purebred small dogs are taken first.Pups are snapped up.As we speak a stunning bull mastiff bitch,super nature, is on death row in a pound in Dublin and local rescue has had no replies to internet ads to save her.I can't take her...I can't even get to Dublin as my jeep is in the shop.It's the same every day.Break your heart.

A PS here,going back to the title of this thread,of course you should and do, as far as I know,give priority to UK dogs in trouble.Thanks be to God you have room in your hearts for ours too.I could be ashamed to be Irish if I looked at my country from an animal welfare perspective.What was that quote from Mahatma Ghandi about judging a country by the way it treated its animals?

I'm really touched by the fate of the dogs in Ireland & I'd love to help in any small way I can. I had no idea it was so bad in a neighbouring country

I do some voluntary work with my local Dogs Trust rehoming centre ~ I'll have a word & see if they would be willing to try to high-light the problems in in Ireland. I suspect that they are limited in what they can do & can't do anything "political" or be seen to be criticising the Irish people's treatment of dogs.

I don't know if there's anything Dogsey could do to help? Encouraging/advertising membership in Ireland, supporting education in dog welfare? Can we try to "spread the Dogsey love" in Ireland? Can we do any fund-raising? If anyone's got any ideas I'm happy to do what I can.

There is considerable opposition to taking dogs into schools here,Health and Safety and insurance issues apparently,which is a tragedy.How can we ever make the situation better if we can't get to the kids?
Another thread speaks of not being allowed to take a dog into a bank.There's no business under a roof here that I know of where dogs are admitted apart from vets and pet shops.Even some outdoor markets don't allow them.Makes it very interesting trying to socialise a shy one.
The rescues seldom co-operate with each other which doesn't help,the forums here that deal with rescue are like a bun fight a lot of the time.I pity the moderators on those sites,they're kept busy!
I remember one row that broke out over Dogs Trust.One of their tv ads uses the catch phrase "You can trust a dog from Dogs Trust".This was taken by some Irish rescuers as inference that you couldn't trust a dog from other rescues or that Dogs Trust had better dogs than anyone else...(I suspect this last may be true.They're better set up and have more money than anyone else and so have the time and staff to properly assess their dogs but there'd be pistols at dawn if I voiced that opinion here!)
So publicity is risky,the Irish are notoriously touchy about any suggestion that all in the garden is not rosy.
Fund raising is always welcome.A site called Irish Animals has a list of rescues countrywide and there's not one of them that doesn't need funds but I'd be inclined to keep your £s at home and give them to Dogs Trust.They are doing more for Irish dogs than anyone with their neutering schemes.Their organisation will be the one that will in the end save our animals.