29/11/2025
It’s the season of giving, or at least it’s supposed to be. This year, the government via the department of agriculture will hand out pathetic funding to over 100 rescues. It will give the now Nspca/ispca/dspca (because no one is actually sure what it is right now), the lions share of that funding. Whatever name it’s now called, the mode of operation remains the same. 9-5, 5 days a week in relation to emergency situations. Holidays off.
Meanwhile, in the real world of animal welfare, rescues (in the main) remain contactable 24/7 365 for emergency situations. They will drop whatever they are doing, even on Xmas day, if needed.
I’m not aware of any significant changes to the operation re the combination of the Ispca with the Dspca. I’m not aware if any more inspectors have been employed to cover all of the 26 counties. If any one knows, please feel free to post.
There is room for everyone in animal welfare in this country, and not one is any ‘better’ than the other, although there’s a definite favoritism shown by the department for the Ispca/Dspca. Why is this? Do costly CEOs, sm consultants, PR consultants etc - mostly paid for by donations, make them somehow better? I would suggest not.
At the risk of upsetting anyone, something I don’t much care about anyway, the simple fact is that without the independent rescues, or the sole operators this country would still be back in the 90s. Neither of the two corporate entities in animal welfare made so much as a dent in the changes that have occurred here in the last 30-40 years. Worse, rescues have had to fight tooth and nail to stop dogs being killed in pounds operated by, or associated with them.
This Xmas, please don’t forget to support the independent rescue of your choice. By setting up a 5e standing order pm, provides security for small rescues if enough people do it.
The back bone of animal welfare in Ireland is that of the independent/private rescues. They need younger people to become involved in order for the progression to thrive. That can take many forms ie volunteers to help at kennels, drivers, social media savvy people to help with homing and fundraising, home checkers, admin, accounts etc.
Martin Heydon
It’s the independent rescue community that has brought Ireland out of the dark ages re animal welfare, and the slaughter of dogs that took place in this country from the late 80s into the 2000s in Ispca operated pounds. The highest figure, in the mid 90s was 36 THOUSAND dogs killed in Irish pounds, primarily by pounds contracted to the Ispca by local authorities. The end to this slaughter was brought about by independent rescue groups and animal rights activists. The dogs were killed, primarily, by the use of the captive bolt. An instrument that was introduced by the Ispca as an ‘effective’ (read cheap = more profit) method of killing. This method of killing was only stopped due to public pressure from animal rights and welfare groups in the early 2000s.
If this minister, his department and the government as a whole actually takes animal welfare seriously (as stated), then financially support the independent groups because without them, this country will end up being even more of an an embarrassment on the Eu stage than it is currently . Ireland is seen, in animal welfare circles, in the more progressive Eu countries as being backwards.
