PAWS unable to take in rescue dogs for the foreseeable future

Photo from PAWS Facebook page

A Tipperary animal rescue has had to make the decision not to take in any more dogs for the foreseeable future.

Mullinahone based PAWS currently have 90 dogs in their care, a spiralling vets bill and difficulty in finding staff.

Founder Gina Hetherington told Tipp FM that it was an extremely difficult decision but it’s the same for animal rescues across the county.

“Everybody has the same – they’re bursting at the seams.

“In our own case so far this year we’ve paid our vet €147,000 and we have a bill sitting here from the end of October for €55,000. I mean we can’t do it – it just can’t be done because the money is not coming in.

“We have ads out there for people to work – people come, they try out the job and they find its too hard for them because its damn hard work.

“We’re in a pretty bad position at the minute.”

Gina originally founded PAWS in Kildare in 1997 before relocating to Mullinahone in 2006.

She says the housing crisis is having a knock-on effect on the number of dogs being surrendered for rehoming.

“People losing their houses or their landlords selling their houses and they can’t take the dog to the new rented accommodation.

“It’s the same with council houses. If somebody gets a council house and they have a particular breed of dog they have to get rid of the dog or if they’ve more than two (dogs).

“There’s also a lot of people emigrating. The cost of living seems to be hitting hard.

“I mean the landlord will rent out a house to someone with five toddlers who will write in crayon all over the walls but not to one person with a Labrador.”