PRESS RELEASE: They can't add - but they can multiply

Our man in Havana

permission to cross post this press release - BUT in its entirety please

PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release

They can’t add – but they can multiply

We might like to think of ourselves as a nation of pet lovers but the brutal truth is that in Ireland we destroy the vast majority of our unwanted cats and dogs.

The most recently available figures from the Department of the Environment speak for themselves. These show that 16,598 homeless dogs were destroyed in local authority dog pounds in 2004, equivalent to 45 per day. The statistics also reveal that 68% of all unwanted dogs are put down, a per capita destruction rate almost ten times that of our nearest neighbours in England and Wales.

While no official figures are available for felines, it estimated the number of stray and unwanted cats is even larger.

Spay Week Ireland 2006 aims to encourage more owners to neuter their pets with the twin message that this will both reduce the huge numbers of abandoned animals and significantly boost their pet’s health.

Taking place from Sunday May 28th until Saturday June 3rd next, this year’s campaign was launched today (Thursday 25th May) by TV3 news anchor Claire Byrne and television vet Pete Wedderburn.

“It’s time to tackle this appalling toll,” Pete says. “Pet owners need to be responsible and stop contributing to the crisis of unwanted litters of puppies and kittens in this country.

Early spaying and neutering is also the healthy choice for pets. Research shows that early neutering dramatically reduces an animal’s chances of developing common cancers and other diseases. It keeps pets healthy, helps control the over-population of stray cats and prevents the needless destruction of perfectly healthy animals in pounds.”

Although there was an encouraging 60% increase in the number of re-homed dogs between 2002-2004, the overall number of abandoned animals remained virtually static over the same period at just under 25,000.

“More unwanted dogs are destroyed in Ireland every year than the human population of a medium sized town such as Killarney or Athlone,” says Claire Byrne. “Animal welfare groups around the country are doing tremendous work finding new homes for unwanted animals, but the continuing scale of the problem urgently underlines the need for action. Pets can’t add but they can multiply.”

DOGS TRUST

Spay Week Ireland 2006 has been boosted by the support of international dog-welfare charity Dogs Trust. Following a successful pilot scheme in Cork, Dogs Trust is launching a nationwide subsidised neutering campaign which offers dog owners on means-tested social welfare benefits the opportunity to have their pets spayed or neutered for a nominal fee of €14. For further information on participating vets and eligibility please call Dogs Trust Neutering Hotline 1890 946 336.

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BEST FOR YOUR PET

The cost of spaying/neutering is quite small compared with the cost of vaccinating,
feeding and finding homes for an unwanted litter. Owners should contact their local vet for details.

The myth persists that female animals should have one litter, but according to television vet Pete Wedderburn, they don’t need that for their health or happiness. A few months after giving birth, female dogs and cats leave their offspring to fend for themselves, leading to difficulties finding good homes for unwanted puppies and kittens.

PAWS FOR THOUGHT

A bitch spayed before her first season is 2,000 times less likely than an intact bitch to develop mammary or breast cancer.

Neutering male dogs helps prevent testicular cancer and prostate disease

In Ireland 72% of stray and unwanted dogs are destroyed, 10 times the rate of both England and Wales.

Males neutered early in life are less aggressive towards other dogs and are not distracted by females in heat.

MIAOW OR NEVER

Neutering doubles the life expectancy of tom cats from seven to 14 years.

Spayed cats are seven times less likely to get mammary cancer than non-spayed cats. Spaying also prevents womb infections which can be life threatening.

There are thousands of stray cats in every county of Ireland today.

Trap, Neuter and Release’ schemes are the most effective way of controlling stray cat problems. Having already proved successful in other countries such as the UK, USA, Italy, Greece and Germany, these schemes involve trapping the cats and taking them to the vets to be neutered. One ear tip is then clipped for identification purposes, and returned to the area that they have made their home.

For more information about Spay Week Ireland 2006, visit: http://www.spayweekireland.ie


Press release ends


Issued on behalf of Spay Week Ireland by CN Media

For further press information please contact Jan van Embden at CN Media Ltd.
Tel: 01 – 282 9853.