Dogs recovering from surgery stolen from animal sanctuary

SIX dogs were stolen from an animal sanctuary and office equipment and windows were broken in a weekend raid which has baffled and angered animal welfare staff.

The dogs — some of which had just undergone surgery at the Heathlawn Sanctuary in Killimor in Co Galway — were taken early yesterday.

Dog leads and collars were also stolen, while considerable damage was caused to the premises.

Gardaí in Portumna are investigating the break-in and are trying to track the stolen animals.

The Galway Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) said the incident was “horrific” as well as an act of “pure thuggery”.

Margaret O’Sullivan, the group’s public relations officer, said staff had locked up the premises on Saturday at 7pm and discovered the damage when re-opening yesterday just before 8am.

The dogs taken include Jack Russells, greyhounds, and huskies.

They were all brought to the sanctuary as a result of alleged cruelty.

Many are still recovering from rehabilitative surgery. The greyhound that was taken has broken bones in its foot while the Jack Russell has stitches in its nose.

At the time of the break-in, there were 60 dogs at the sanctuary and Ms O’Sullivan said of the thieves: “They knew what they were after.”

No staff member was around at the time of the break-in although security cameras were in operation.

In addition to the theft of the dogs, the office was damaged and windows were broken, while the air had been let out of the tyres of a GSPCA vehicle parked outside.

Ms O’Sullivan said: “It was pure thuggery, the way the office was trashed. It was making a statement.”

One section of the sanctuary houses older dogs and Ms O’Sullivan said these animals had been “traumatised” by the noise and commotion caused during the break-in.

The sanctuary takes in dogs from around Galway county and Galway City and Ms O’Sullivan said it was the first break-in at the premises since it was established just outside Killimor over 15 years ago.

One theory being explored by gardaí is that the dogs taken belonged to people who may have wanted to take them back to avoid any possible prosecution for animal cruelty or neglect.

On GSPCA’s Facebook page yesterday, hundreds of people condemned the theft of the dogs, including representatives of animal shelters in Britain.