One of two dogs who were running loose near the M50 for weeks has passed away just days after being rescued.
Keith Boyce, a volunteer animal rescuer and awareness campaigner from Tallaght, had been trying to corner the dogs and worked with other locals to follow up on sightings of the duo. Speaking to Dublin Live, Keith described how the pair were eventually rescued and also emphasised the need for better animal welfare infrastructure in Ireland.
He said: "These dogs covered a fair bit of ground. They went from Baldonnell, to Tallaght, to Rathfarnham, on to the M50, up to Terenure, back down to Rathfarnham. This was over a couple of weeks. I think they may have killed a cat and maybe a fox out of starvation which is terrible for everyone involved.
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"Ultimately I think they just got so exhausted they found their way into Terenure Rugby Club. Someone messaged me to say there were there.
"They didn't even try to run, they were just so exhausted. It was heart-breaking."
Keith and a friend eventually got the dogs into the jeep and brought them to the vet in Stillorgan.
"The initial examination said their teeth were in bad condition because of their diet and they had worms and fleas so we treated all of that," he said.
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"A friend of mine in Rathfarnham minded them for a few days and tried to fatten them up a bit and get them feeling a bit more comfortable. From there I got them rescue space in another part of the country.
"But unfortunately one of them has since passed away. That stuff is heart-breaking for us. I'm glad the dog knew some kindness before she died."
Keith said that instances such as this highlight the need for stronger animal welfare work in Ireland. He said: "I really believe we need a proper national animal welfare unit. Dublin City Council have started one which is brilliant and they seem to be making good changes there.
"There's a massive overhaul needed. We're miles off the mark. We need stricter breeding policies and have them enforced. It's not good enough to just put these things in place as a box-ticking exercise. They need to be followed up.
"There needs to be greater controls on who can own a dog. I know it's hard to police and there's so many other issues going on in this country, but this is important. People will say things like 'oh it's only a dog' but I think there needs to be some sort of vetting process over who can own one."
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