On Tuesday 18 October, a dog, which had run from it's home in Salthill, was found on the NUI Galway campus.
The dog in question had been spotted by numerous students, but none of these attempted to find out where she had come from.
Fortunately, the phone number of her owner was engraved into the tag on her collar, and she was soon brought home.
"This isn't the first time she's run away, and it certainly won't be the last," said a very relieved owner, after being reunited with his pet, "she can run for miles."
Lost dogs - or indeed lost pets in general - are common around Galway.
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| Pic from Pets.ie |
Margaret O' Sullivan, a spokesperson for the Galway Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) said that there are, on average, ten lost pets reported every day, or 60 per week. It is very uncommon for these pets to be reunited with their owners.
According to the GSPCA, the number of lost pets has gone up in the past two or three years, and not all of them are genuine cases. These days, because of the recession, many people cannot afford to keep their pets.
"A lot of pets are discarded, not lost," says Margaret, "People often come to us with a dog and say its lost, but we can tell by the dog's reaction to the person that the animal belongs to them."
However, the GSPCA cannot turn away an animal in need. Lost or discarded pets are kept in the sanctuary, put into foster care, or re-homed. If they aren't re-homed, the animals live in the sanctuary for the rest of their lives.
So what can you do to avoid losing your pet?
"The biggest problem with dogs," Margaret continues, "is that they have no ID. They're not micro-chipped, so its very hard to find the owner.
"Even if you write your phone number on the inside of the dog's collar in felt tipped pen, it makes it easier for us to find their owners.
"We would recommend - with the amount of dogs being stolen and sold - to micro-chip them. There's a fair good chance it will end up in a vet."
The dog that was found wandering around the NUI Galway campus was lucky, as her owner had identification on her collar, but not all lost dogs have ID. So what should you do if you see a pet wandering around campus?
"If you see a dog wandering around, watch it," Margaret advises, "It may not be lost. If its there 24 hours later, its probably a lost dog.
"People often let their dogs wander, so look at the dogs condition. If its in good condition, its probably just out for a stroll. If its in bad condition, contact us with the details."
There was also a marked increase in the number of lost dogs over Halloween because of fireworks, which proves that putting identification on your dog's collar can be very beneficial, not only to you, but to the dog, and to the GSPCA who have to raise €20,000 a month to run the sanctuary.
The GSPCA are looking for volunteers for their Church Gate Collection this December. The collection will take place on 11 and 12 December. So if you're staying in Galway this Christmas, and would like to help raise money for a good cause, contact the GSPCA on 091563631.
24 Nov 2011
by Jessica Thompson
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