This article is from page 14 of the 2011-12-20 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 14 JPG
CLARE parents have been warned not to purchase a puppy as a gift for their children this year by the county’s dog warden Frankie Coote, who had to rehouse dozens of newly abandoned animals in the first week after Christmas last year.
Anyone interested in getting a pet for their family this Christmas is instead asked to visit the Clare Dog Pound with their children and speak to a trained professional about what is required to look after a dog prop- erly.
“Unfortunately, each year parents and relatives go out there and decide to buy a pet for a child for Christmas. We would advice anyone who is thinking of getting a dog at Christmas, and they have the right time and facilities, that they should go to a pound and rehouse a dog rather than going to a puppy farm. Puppy farms are just breeding establishments and you are going to buy from a puppy farm you really need to see the dogs parents and what sort of conditions they are being kept with,” said Frankie.
“Parents can rush into getting a dog as a present without really thinking about the amount of work that is involved in a dog.
“Last Christmas we saw a number of relatives bringing a puppy for their niece of nephew – that is a terrible thing to do with someone. The people are not prepared for the pup and all the work that that entails. Last year I had to go to several people immediately after Christmas because they just were not able to take care of their pups. It is a big commit- ment and people who get a puppy at Christmas don’t realise this.”
Meanwhile, a number of horses have been discovered dead at various locations around the county over the past two weeks. A large number of horses were effectively abandoned last year as the prolonged cold snap mean that the owners could not feed the animals.
Flooding has been the main difficulty for animals this year with a number of horses found dead in drains and wet areas in Kilmaley and Kilkishen in the past two week.