Jane Powerson man's best friend.
In 2005 about 16,500 healthy dogs were put down in animal pounds in Ireland. During the same period in Scotland, which has a similar human population, just over 800 unwanted dogs were destroyed.
Are we killing 20 times more dogs than the Scots because we are keener to own trophy breeds, and are turning our backs on all those genial mutts in the pound? Or perhaps it's as Carmel Murray of the ISPCA says: "Ireland has a long way to go in terms of animal welfare." Responsible pet ownership, she explains, involves neutering the animal, unless there is a very good reason for breeding from it.
Readers who object to the thought of Rover or Princess being denied his or her sexual kicks might consider this: dogs that have not been castrated and bitches that have not been spayed are regularly at the beck and call of their hormones but are rarely allowed to mate, so they are subject to bouts of extreme discontent. An animal that has been neutered, on the other hand, has no idea what he or she is missing, and is a happier individual.
When it comes to the cold mathematics of dogs' impact on the planet, it's better that a few wanted animals are born and cared for rather than that crowds of supernumerary canines eat their way through earth's resources - only to be put to death because nobody will take responsibility for them.
There are some who argue that the planet's resources are too scarce to be wasted on pets and that having a dog is unethical. Man has an ancient contract with the dog, however, entered into thousands of years ago when we invited it into our society as a working and guarding animal, and as a companion. Dogs are here to stay.
Their benefits to us, too, are legion, and help to offset their ecological footprint: they make us exercise and stay healthy, they keep us from being lonely, they promote responsibility in children. Working animals - including guide dogs and search-and-rescue dogs - deliver invaluable support to human beings. (And as a means of cutting fuel consumption, a dog on the lap provides a grand source of heat.)
For those of us who want to continue our association with man's best friend, we can lessen its effect on the planet by choosing a small animal rather than a large one, by cleaning up after it and by making sure that it is properly looked after (and, yes, neutered). And, obviously, it's better, with regard to the planet's resources, to adopt an existing dog from an animal shelter rather than to buy a puppy that has been commercially bred. The rescued hound may never be a show dog - all its spots may be in the "wrong" places, its socks may be uneven, it may have one ear up and one ear down - but you will never find a better buddy.