Lack of neutering can cause more animal suffering than wanton acts of cruelty, writes Eileen Battersby, who visits the DSPCA's shelter
A few of the injured dogs have broken legs and head injuries, and are described, on their medical charts, as "road traffic" victims. But the swan which has been brought in was not hit by a car. Its leg was broken by one of the many stones thrown at it by a group of youths at the canal. A brave woman rescued the bird - swans do not like being handled - and then called the Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA). One of the society's four inspectors collected the swan and brought it to the society's shelter in Rathfarnham, at the foot of the Dublin mountains.
We look at the swan, one of three currently at the centre, and ask in disbelief, "Why would anyone even think of throwing stones at a swan?" A voice beside me overhears and answers: "Why would anyone set fire to a kitten or stab a pony in the eye? Or starve their dog? But they do, we've seen the victims."
Stray and injured dogs and cats occupy most of the accommodation, although there are also many pet rabbits, hamsters, degus (Chilean rodents) guinea pigs and gerbils, surrendered by owners when the novelty wore off. A pot-bellied pig named Arnold resides in his hut, with his name carved over the door. He was brought in as a neglect case, dangerously obese. Now healthily slimmer, he is settled here for life, as are many of the birds, goats, donkeys and Shetland ponies.
As staff members go about their day, monitoring patients, assessing newcomers, keeping in contact with the rescue ambulances, feeding, cleaning the bedding, exercising dogs, dealing with phone inquiries, advising prospective new owners, and remaining on the alert for the emergencies, a number of dogs trot about, busy and interested in everything, but also ready for the odd bit of play.
These dogs are former neglect and cruelty cases which have found owners - individual staff members who now take them to work with them.
Visiting an animal shelter is upsetting, but the DSPCA has, in these premises that it moved to in 1991, succeeded in creating a friendly pet-corner-like atmosphere, complete with coffee shop, which balances the serious rescue and educational objectives.
Most importantly of all, there is no five-day stay of execution in operation. Any stray which arrives here will, health permitting, be kept until re-homed. At present there are 65 dogs and 45 cats waiting for a home. For all the heartbreak, it is encouraging to see so many animals getting that deserved second or, in some cases, third chance.
Hank is a three-and-half-year-old black lurcher. He first arrived at the Rathfarnham centre as a stray with a dislocated hip. That was in August 2005. He was hospitalised for 10 weeks and was homed, but within a year his new owner became ill and had to return him. His luck has held, and he will be going to a new home in a couple of weeks. Another lurcher, a tall blonde male with pleading eyes, currently lamenting a torn pad, assesses every human who walks by his kennel as a potential new owner. Several of the other dogs have a different approach. They look at you, wag their tail, seem delighted to see you and hold up a paw.
No wonder dogs are God's optimists, they are also natural psychologists. They know what humans need.
As if on cue, an emergency unfolds. An inspector arrives with a number of cats and dogs which have been held in appalling conditions. A couple of the dogs were in rabbit hutches. They are thin and lice-infested, with long, curling claws. One young dog, skeletal and weak, has bald patches around his eyes, the result of mange. Yet still, up goes a front paw and, with a look of desperate hope, he seems to saying, "Take me with you." That is the strange, humbling thing about dogs, they don't give up and they always forgive. In the next kennel, though, another new arrival from the same rescue mission, a young dog, a small pale tan-and-white terrier type with light brown eyes, looks despondent. Her nails curl under. It has been a very long time since she walked anywhere. She sits quietly and watches.
Then there is Miguel, a happy, good-looking puppy, abandoned aged five weeks on the doorstep of a staff member. That was three weeks ago. Now he is tossing his feed bowl at the kennel door. He wants attention and gets it.
Orla Aungier, one of the society's two education officers, holds a tiny black kitten in her hands. The kitten's paw was trapped in decking for two days before his plight was reported. He may lose his leg, but he will live. Now immortalised as the lucky black cat in the Lotto campaign, Declan should find a home.
Outside, a cheerful short-legged collie-type mongrel barks a greeting. He appears oblivious to the severe scald wounds on his left ear and along his back. He is waiting to return to his kennel. He is a great character and would make an engaging pet, as will the grey, floppy-haired bearded collie cross bounding along behind him. A lovely liver-and-white Springer type did make a great pet, for almost four-and-a-half years. But then her owners began a building project and decided they could not include her in their plans.
She was surrendered to the DSPCA. This often happens to settled domestic pets, education officer Gillian Bird confirms. "Just about now, as we come close to Easter, the Christmas puppies begin coming in. They're bigger and people are realising 'they're in the way', as a result of lack of training, and sheer time and commitment on the owner's part. Suddenly, a pet becomes 'a problem'." Always saddest is the case of the older dog which has been surrendered because of an owner's illness or death. This is particularly sad when it involves two older dogs which have been together, possibly from birth, and now face separation.
Yet surrendered pets are luckier that those who are simply left to fend for themselves and face injury or death on the road. The biggest problem of all is the failure to neuter male dogs and cats and spay females. Unwanted puppies and kittens create an unnecessary problem and needless suffering. The education officers devote hours of their time stressing the need for any pet owner to act responsibly towards his or her pet - dogs and cats must be neutered.
Both education officers believe attitudes towards animals are formed at an early age and can also affect the way children will later deal with human relationships. "We visit the schools," says Bird, "and try to encourage children to become aware of the responsibility involved with having an animal." There is also the issue of basic respect. In the Dublin area in 2005, the DSPCA dealt with 1,583 cruelty cases, some of which would have involved unintentional neglect by owners. The figures for last year are 1,763. It appears animal cruelty is on the increase in what we know to be - with crime rates soaring - an increasingly violent human society. But, as Gillian Bird points out, "This could be true, but also it could reflect a heightened awareness, with people becoming more aware and reporting potential cruelty cases because they are more confident that these cases will be dealt with seriously."
The society publishes and distributes extensive pet-care information and educational material. The emphasis is on making an aspiring owner honestly ask his or herself are they capable of committing themselves to an animal's basic needs, such as food, shelter, companionship, exercise and neutering. The tiny, sleepy puppy will grow into a dynamic, curious, tactile and energetic personality with a mind of its own - in need of discipline as well as love.
There are happy stories: many of the dogs and cats will be homed, and of course a visit to the cattery, in which the cats have access to an outdoor area, could make a visitor think that all these cats are merely on holiday - such is the self-contained nature of cats. But each of the 45 contented-looking cats surveying us with mild interest is also in need of a good home. Some are currently housed in pairs - all the better for a potential owner looking for two which are mutually compatible, as cats are by nature territorial and it can be difficult to introduce a new cat into a household that already has one.
It is a shame that a horrific cruelty case will generate far more interest than the routine calls for vital neutering and vaccinations. Ironically, the failure to neuter animals results in even more suffering than the isolated cases of wanton cruelty. Still, cruelty does exist and the DSPCA is particularly concerned with the plight of urban-based horses and ponies, many of which are tethered on open ground, littered with dangerous domestic and industrial refuse. The horses have no water, no shelter, no worming, have not been vaccinated, and have neglected hooves.
Having been called in to many tragic cases, the society has made a disturbing film of its documented reports. At present, the society is caring for 25 abandoned horses and ponies, all of which were rescued in varying stages of distress, injury and neglect. Gillian Bird is philosophical: "Many people would admit they haven't the time to care for a dog or a cat - a horse or a pony is a lot bigger and its needs are quite complicated. It all goes back to knowing what to do."
Unfortunately, not knowing what to do, or how to care for an animal, results in almost as much suffering as deliberate cruelty.
The DSPCA A dog's life
The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) is the oldest animal charity in Ireland. It was founded in 1840, thanks to pressure brought about by the wives of Dublin merchants, who felt animals suffered appalling hardship in the sprawling 19th-century city.
Premises were established in Lower Grand Canal Street. The society continued its work in those Victorian conditions until 1991, when the Dublin Dogs and Cats Home, as it was known, moved to its present centre. This year the society's annual Government grant is €80,000 - twice last year's figure, which was also increased from €17,000 in 2005.
It takes €1.3 million to run the centre and the shortfall is made up from fundraising, such as the sponsor a pet and buy a brick schemes. Membership of the DSPCA ranges in price from €32 for annual membership (€10 for those under 17 years of age) and €500 for a lifetime subscription.
DSPCA (incorporating the Dogs and Cats Home) is at Stocking Lane, Rathfarnham, Dublin 16. Tel: 01-4935502/4, e-mail info@dspca.ie or log on to www.dspca.ie
