Animal cruelty is rampant: what on earth is wrong with us?

A FEW months ago I rescued an abandoned female dog that I found collapsed under a rail of clothing in a department store in Cork city.

I believe she may have been hit by a car and crawled into the store for shelter. I managed to get her to a vet’s surgery and took her home and cared for her.

I called her Jess. I advertised and did everything I could to find her owner, but without response.

Unfortunately, I was not able to keep Jess, and so the long saga began of trying to find an animal welfare organisation that could take care of her until she could be re-homed.

Both the Animal Care Society and the West Cork Animal Welfare Group were full of abandoned animals and I held onto Jess until a space became available at the west Cork group.

Jess has a wonderful, placid temperament and was re-homed within two days. She has since been renamed Lucy.

What on earth is wrong with us in Ireland? We are one of the wealthiest countries in Europe, if not the world, and yet our record on animal welfare is appalling.

Animals are dumped all over Cork city and county without thought or compassion. I assume that people don’t care and/or ignorantly believe that the animal can fend for itself.

Well, not so.

It might come as a shock to many to realise that these animals cannot fend for themselves. If anyone is in any doubt about this, please see the case histories of some of the animals on the website of the Animal Care Society.

Their stories are heartbreaking. They are dumped in rubbish bins, rivers and on the streets without a care for their survival.

People pass them on the streets as they wander lost, starving, bleeding or limping from injuries and, let’s face it, most people don’t really care.

I understand that charities in Ireland are forced to send many of their rescued animals to UK for re-homing simply because there is no possibility of homing them here. UK charities despair at what goes on in Ireland.

Surely pet owners in Ireland can be responsible enough to spay and neuter their animals thus alleviating some part of the problem? Our ignorance and irresponsibility are simply breathtaking.

I know the situation is not perfect in the UK, but it is a damned sight better than it is here.

I accept there are many loving and responsible pet-owners in Ireland, but there are not enough.

I don’t know who is going to teach us to be caring and compassionate, but I do know it is not the responsibility of charities in other countries to clean up our mess.

Catherine Galvin

Togher Road

Cork