Galway dog charity has an influx of new pets for adoption

The New Year saw an influx of abandoned puppies arrive on the doorstep of one local animal charity – leading it to renew its plea to the public to think long and hard before taking on a pet.

Local dog rescue charity MADRA ran a successful dog fostering scheme over the Christmas where families cared for a pet pooch over the festival season.

This served two purposes – it gave the animals the chance to leave the charity’s kennels for a few weeks and allowed families to experience life with a pet, without committing themselves to one on a permanent basis.

But that was a temporary respite for the charity, which has been inundated with pups over the past number of months and currently has 40 pups in their care – either at the rescue facility, in private boarding kennels or with foster families.

“Our Christmas foster scheme worked really well, but the majority of these pups have already started returning to the kennels as people go back to work,” said MADRA’s Tara Nic Dhiarmada.

“On New Year’s Eve, a further ten young pups arrived in from the pound”, she added.

The pups – who range in age from five weeks to 16 weeks old – are a variety of breeds, including mixes of terriers, labradors and collies.

And that is why MADRA is holding a Puppy Adoption Day at St Joseph’s Community Centre in Shanthalla this Saturday from 12 noon to 3.30pm.

One of the pups, Holly, is a Chihuahua X and it really is a miracle that she has made it this far – she is one of the five little pups found dumped in a plastic bag at the age of four weeks.

Holly was the smallest surviving pup (one of her siblings was dead in the bag and one died after they were found) and it turns out that she has a severe heart murmur and the vet thinks she probably won’t live much past her second birthday.

As with the charity’s normal vetting process, nobody will be taking a dog away on the day – instead they will learn what’s involved, see if there’s a dog for them – and then go through an adoption questionnaire. All adoptions are subject to the successful completion of a home check.

Tata Nic Dhiarmada asks that people consider their lifestyle and the needs of a pup before adding a four-legged friend to their family.

“While we do need to find homes for these pups it is important to us that we find a permanent home. We all know how cute puppies are but there is a great deal of hard work involved. It is important that potential adopters consider the size and temperament of the adult dog, and whether they will have the time to train the dog to ensure the best start for everyone,” she said.

The majority of home checks will be conducted the week after the event or on the day of the event. Advice will also be available from the MADRA team on the type of dog that will best suit a potential adopters’ lifestyle.

The pups will be microchipped, wormed and vaccinated and an adoption donation of €150 is suggested. Potential adopters must also commit to neutering their pup when they have reached an appropriate age.

For more information about the adoption process and some of the dogs that are currently looking for their forever homes go to www.madra.ie or visit the MADRA Facebook page.