Letter From South Dublin County Council

[~Sarah~]

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I received a letter today from South Dublin County Council about the poor little whippet in the pound that had a broken leg and was PTS, despite attempts to get it out.

The letter is quite lengthy (about the Council's role and the Control of Dogs Act 1986 etc) but the relevant paragraphs state:

In relation to the whippet which is the subject of your letter, the following is a brief summary of the position. The whippet was taken to the Council's pound on 21st January 2008. When the dog entered the pound, it was examined by the Pound Keeper who, as already stated, is a fully qualified Veterinary Surgeon. This is normal procedure. She was found to have a nasty temperament ; she also had a lame left hind leg. As there were no external wounds or other injuries evident, in the opinion of the Veterinary Surgeon, the lameness was due to a longstanding injury. The dog was treated on a daily basis with the appopriate medication.

 

The dog's condition improved somewhat over the following days. Unfortunately, despite regular coaxing from the pound assistant, who has years of experience in dog handling, the dog's temperament remained quite nasty and a decision was made to euthanize the animal.

 

The dog had been kept for eight days which is three days over the requirement, in an effort to treat its condition and have it rehomed.

How could the Vet possibly determine that the injury was longstanding without giving the dog an X-Ray?

 

[Nicola]

Good for you for asking for an explanation. Hopefully this will act as a caution to the kennels for future times.

It's just too sad a case to know how to comment really, but I'm pleased this has been followed up.

Thanks for posting it.

 

[kris]

the only treatment/medication this bitch had was some painkillers.they didnt put acast on her leg or do any other treament.i dont think a bitch thats in a completely strange and frightening place who is in pain is able to show her true temperament whether shes nasty or nice.its an alien enviroment and unless the person doing the judging is a fully qualified behaviourist which in this case i doubt then im sorry but no you cant make that kind of judgement.also as my daughter said to me at the time various painkillers can alter a dogs temperament rapidy and widely and unless the vet who is prescribing the painkillers knows this and knows which painkillers can alter temperament drastically for the worse then its impossible to gauge a true assessment of the animals temperament.i knew theyd try to wriggle out of this but im going to make then squirm as much as possible.did they say anything to you about their policy of charging the rescues 25 euros for taking dogs out? :angry:

 

[Janimal]

Well done for writing Sarah... this was such a sad case..

 

[blue-whippet]

Not to offend any Vets; as vets are surgeons and have medical training, they are not experts in dogs or small animals for that matter unless they specialize. Even then it's not like they go to special dog only vet schools. It's a broad training covering many different species, unlike human doctors who have one animal to work on. As I do listen to vets when it comes to medicine and surgery I do have to question their judgment when it comes to anything else including dog behavior... When a vet tells me that my two whippets have deadly heart murmurs and that a raw diet will cause them harm and probably even kill them, then I have a difficult time believing... Vets serve their purpose and if they are specialized in dogs, even better sight hounds then I would listen with less skepticism...

As for rescues… and Pounds … I do feel for them as they do have a broad range of services to provide with limited resources... They need to triage the animals that come in to avoid wasting services on animals that may not be able to be helped, in order to not deny help to those who can... As it’s not the best system, and salvageable pets that could be rehabilitated are put down, I believe they are at least lessoning what would be a bigger problem without them… Sort of a “better with them than without them”, but definitely not the preferred way of doing business... I would hope that they would contact specific breed and other rescue services before euthanizing animals, when they don’t meet their help criteria...

Please any Vets out their don't flame spray me... I don't think your a bunch of bumbling idiots ! ! I just believe y'all have a large area of study, that doesn't allow many to become experts in a single area as a general vet..

IMHO

-Brad-

 

[~Sarah~]

the only treatment/medication this bitch had was some painkillers.they didnt put  acast on her leg or do any other treament.i dont think a bitch thats in a completely strange and frightening place who is in pain is able to show her true temperament whether shes nasty or nice.its an alien enviroment and  unless the person doing the judging is a fully qualified behaviourist which in this case i doubt then im sorry but no you cant make that kind of judgement.also as my daughter said to me at the time various painkillers can alter a dogs temperament rapidy and widely and unless the vet who is prescribing the painkillers knows this and knows which painkillers can alter temperament drastically for the worse then its impossible to gauge a true assessment of the animals temperament.i knew theyd try to wriggle out of this but im going to make then squirm as much as possible.did they say anything to you about their policy of charging the rescues 25 euros for taking dogs out? :angry:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

I totally agree Kris. This case made me feel so angry. :rant: :rant:

No, they didn't mention the 25 euros.

As you say, they have just tried to wriggle out of this.

 

[whippetgood]

Hi Folks, Kris, Sarah,

I too have received a letter from Dublin Council as far as im concerned its all waffle just to cover there arses this little girl should have been saved.

ITS BLACK AND WHITE

Heres their letter

SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS

_____________________________________________________________________________

18th February 2008

Ms Rachel Brennock

Dublin 6W.

Re: Control of dogs

Dear Ms Brennock,

I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated the 11th February last regarding the treatment of a whippet at the Councils dog pound.

The Council’s role in the control of dogs is set out in the Control of Dogs Act 1986 as amended. The legislation was enacted at a time when there were many problems caused by stray dogs in towns and cities throughout Ireland. Stray dogs were also causing problems for farmers at that time and particularly for sheep farmers.

In order to implement the obligations for Local Authorities which are contained in the legislation, South Dublin County Council employs two dog wardens and provides pound services to house stray dogs which have been detained. The pound service is provided under contract with a private operator. Over the years the operator of the Council pound has always been a Veterinary Surgeon. Prior to appointing the contractor, the Council’s own Veterinary Officer inspects the premises to ensure that they are suitable for the purpose.

The Council therefore takes all reasonable measures to ensure that its role in the control of dogs under the Control of Dogs Act is delivered in as comprehensive a manner as possible. It must be borne in mind however that the Council’s role is one of control. In fulfilling that role the Council always tries to ensure that detained dogs are treated with respect and are provided with sufficient food and comfort until they become rehomed, or as happens in a small minority of cases, until they are euthanised.

In relation to the whippet which is the subject of your e-mail, the following is a brief summary of the position. The whippet was taken to the Council’s pound on 21st January 2008. When the dog entered the pound, it was examined by the Pound Keeper who, as already stated, is a fully qualified Veterinary Surgeon. This is normal procedure. She was found to have a nasty temperament; she also had a lame left hind leg. As there were no external wounds or other injuries evident, in the opinion of the Veterinary Surgeon, the lameness was due to a longstanding injury. The dog was treated on a daily basis with the appropriate medication.

The dog’s condition improved somewhat over the following days. Unfortunately, despite regular coaxing from the pound assistant, who has years of experience in dog handling, the dogs temperament remained quite nasty and a decision was made to euthanise the animal.

-2-

The dog had been kept for eight days which is three days over the requirement; in an effort to treat its condition and have it rehomed. The Council’s policy is to keep euthanising of animals brought to its Pound to a minimum. The Council also has total discretion on whether an animal is suitable to be rehomed or not and in this instance the dog was, in the opinion of both the Dog Warden and the Pound Keeper, not suitable.

The Council must take great care before releasing dogs of a nasty disposition to be rehomed from its pound as it would be open to possible legal action if the dog attacked a person, particularly a child.

The Council considers that it has a very good record in rehoming dogs from its pound. Hundred of dogs have found good caring homes over the years from the Council’s pound. However it must be accepted that in a minority of cases this will not always be possible.

The Council has set criteria which rescue groups must fulfil before they receive dogs free of charge from it’s pound and any group which can fulfil this criteria is welcome to contact us.

In relation to revising the legislation, this would be a matter for Central Government to decide and until then South Dublin County Council will work within the provisions the Control of Dogs Act, 1986.

Yours sincerely,

Michael Coleman

Senior Executive Officer

Environmental Service Department

mcoleman@sdublincoco.ie

 

[kris]

ive just been talking to a lady on there who runs another rescue that gets dogs out of dunboyne pound.i cant repeat on here what she has told me about the person who is in charge there as like she says there could be repercussions especially for the rescues as they are only allowed in on sufferance and can be stopped going in at any time.she takes mainly lurchers and her own dog came from there with a broken leg that was left for 5 days.by the time she got him out the leg was so bad her own vet had to amputate it :rant: this is definately not an uncommon occurance.if anyone wants to pm me for further details ill be happy to tell them

as for the council rehoming hundreds of dogs its mainly the rescues doing this not the council.

this is the criteria one rescuer had to fulfil in order for them to waive the 25 euros fee.most councils in ireland waive this fee to all rescues except dunboyne.

I take most, if not all the lurchers from dunboyne. It took me almost a year, proof of planning permission and an inspection from sth dublin Council's vet (3 hour drive) before i was 'let off' the 25 euro

 

[whippetwise]

"the Council’s role is one of control. In fulfilling that role the Council always tries to ensure that detained dogs are treated with respect and are provided with sufficient food and comfort until they become rehomed, or as happens in a small minority of cases, until they are euthanised."

This line in particular has my blood boiling, if it werent for the small rescues that donate, these dogs would have no bedding and no comfort and as for the SMALL MINOROITY of cases, well the figures speak for themselves:

http://www.anvilireland.ie/fulcrum.html?ep=38

 

[kris]

jeeez,limerick has an almost 100% record.how come no dogs get out alive from there? i guess they dont allow rescues or the public in?ive heard this on the rescue site that theres pounds that dont allow any rescues in and dont allow the public in. how do they get people to work in these places?i couldnt do it knowing every dog that comes in is going to die with no chance whatsoever of reprieve.

i dont believe that little Mabel was treated with respect.to leave an animal for 8 days with a broken leg and no treatment apart from a painkiller is beyond belief.as for blankets and towels im going to spend the spring and summer months going to car boot sales buying them and ill send them over there cos a lady who works for PAWS rescue her hubs comes over here once a month so ive got someone now to collect them and take them back and distribute them.if anyone here wants to donate any blankets or towels, toys or chewysticks or treats for these dogs then if someone can organise picking them up at shows or races or game fairs in the spring and summer months im sure we can get something sorted to get them picked up and taken back every month.we just need some volunteers to organise it and collect them.anyone want to help?