Paws up if you can help
A meeting aimed at galvanising animal rescue services in the midlands is to be held in the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar next month. Maureen Whyte from Turin, Mullingar, is one of the organisers, and she told the Westmeath Examiner that the aim is also to create greater public awareness of what is being done and needs to be done, and to get volunteers to help at local pounds and rescue centres.
Maureen said representatives from My Lovely Horse Rescue, Cats in the Community, the Westmeath Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Westmeath Paw Patrol and Mullingar Dog Pound are scheduled to attend and give brief talks on their work and the challenges they face.
Maureen looks after cats, dogs, goats, rabbits and even alpacas at her rescue centre, and has been doing so for several years.
The housing crisis has made the situation worse, Maureen said, and pointed out that many landlords do not allow pets. “That has had a huge effect on the number of dogs being surrendered,” she said.
Maureen was involved in the setting up of Westmeath Paw Patrol, along with Mary Gavin from Dalystown, Carmel Foran from Mullingar and Maeve O’Donoghue from Killucan.
They work closely with the Mullingar Dog Pound to get animals fostered and rehomed. Maureen said that the dog pound in Mullingar has been completely revamped and “spruced up”, and “it’s not a bad place to be”.
“If I lost a dog, the first place I would look is the pound, and it is the right place to look,” she said.
Maureen said they need people to walk dogs and to foster and rehome them. “A dog will rescue you as well as you rescuing it,” she said.
Feral cats are a problem too in many areas, particularly around bins and at places where food scraps are stored, Maureen remarked. She pointed out that such cats keep the rodent population down, but it is essential that they are neutered or there will be too many of them.
Westmeath Paw Patrol lend traps to catch wild cats that can then be neutered. WSPCA – who give out vouchers for cat neutering – will be at the meeting, as will the Cats in the Community group. My Lovely Horse Rescue group will also attend and are looking for people to foster equines in need of a new home.
If you are retired and looking for something to do, or if you just want to get involved in helping homeless animals, the meeting on Monday February 9 at 7pm will provide you with all the information you need.