Homeless Dog Census
Hi Everyone Over the past couple of Septembers, we’ve gotten in touch with as many rescues as possible across the country to carry out the Homeless Dog Census. Working with the Department of Rural and Community Development, we pulled together the numbers from rescues and the local authority dog pounds to give a snapshot of how many homeless dogs there were in Ireland on one given day. We've released those figures in time for World Animal Day on the 4th October and both years drew significant media coverage and highlighted the pressure that our sector is under. In 2023, there were 3,227 homeless dogs, and in 2024, 2,924. When we spoke with other rescues while pulling the numbers together, it was clear—and no surprise—that these figures don’t show the full picture. We’re all stretched to capacity, with long waiting lists and emergency callouts, so it’s unlikely the overall numbers will shift much year on year.
This year, we’ve decided not to run the Census. We don’t have the resources available to undertake the work and while the Census offers a useful snapshot, it is not enough. To truly understand and respond to Ireland’s dog welfare crisis, we need access to more comprehensive national figures. While detailed statistics for the local authority dog pounds are published annually, they provide only a partial view of Ireland's overall dog welfare landscape.
For those of us who apply annually for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Animal Welfare Grant, we know that the department gathers a significant amount of information, including the figures on intake, adoptions, rehoming abroad but also, among other things, data on the:
- number of people employed in the sector and salaries paid
- number of people who volunteer
- income we generate
- cost of running each rescue
- amount of training sessions we run for the public and the number of participants
- number of dogs who’ve died or been euthanised
- number of dogs neutered
- amount of subsidised neutering provided
We are all more than familiar with the inequity of the Animal Welfare Grant funding (circa €6m annually) versus the funding provided to the greyhound industry (circa €20m). That industry justifies its funding with economic and employment data. Our sector, despite its enormous contribution to society, cannot make the same case because national data is not published. If it were available, we could demonstrate the true scale of our impact—and argue for fairer funding that would allow us to employ more people, save more animals, and prevent more problems before they arise. Having this data would also let us track trends over time, spot emerging challenges, and target resources where they are most needed to make the biggest difference. Our Board has written formally to DAFM to ask that this national and regional data be shared. If you attended DAFM’s Animal Welfare Seminar in Kildare in 2023, you’ll remember this information was requested then, and attendees were told there was no reason it couldn’t be shared yet this has not happened. We know not every rescue applies for the grant, so the data wouldn’t be perfect, but it would still be miles better than what we have now. So, we hope you understand why we’re not going ahead with the Census this year, and we want to thank you all for taking part in the past. If you agree that the regional and national data from animal welfare grant applications should be shared, we urge you to write to DAFM in support of this request. Our very best wishes to you all.
Dawn Divilly - MADRA