‘This is the future and it’s all about the welfare of the dog’

Westmeath County Council dog warden Emma Briggs has “an unlimited number” of vouchers for spaying and neutering bitches and dogs, she told a public meeting in Mullingar last week.

Emma revealed that vouchers of €150 for spaying a bitch and €120 for neutering a dog are available in “genuine cases”.

She said she has been giving them out to people who have got XL Bully exemption certificates going through, and others. “Every dog that leaves the Dog Pound goes with a neutering certificate currently, until we’re affiliated with a vet, and then we will be looking at offering neutering and spaying as the norm,” she told the meeting. Microchipping is also available at a reduced cost.

About 80 people attended the public meeting held in the Greville Arms Hotel, Mullingar, on Monday of last week to spread awareness of the work being done by various animal rescue groups and to appeal for help.

Emma confessed that when she took up her post last year, she was shocked by the dread members of the public had of the dog warden, the “bad dog catcher”. She said that every effort has been made to dispel that public image and to make the Dog Pound a nice place. “Please be a bit forgiving when it comes to talking about the pound; we’re not what we were; we’re moving forward; this is the future now and it’s all about the welfare of the dog,” she stressed.

“You’ll never see an unhappy dog in the pound,” Emma assured the audience, adding: “I care for them like they’re my own.”

She also wanted to dispel “the myth that we put dogs down”. She said that no dog is put down at the pound unless it is too dangerous to rehome. “When I say dangerous, I mean dangerous,” she said, adding: “I’ve worked with some of the toughest dogs on the planet.”

Emma has 40 years of kennel experience, 13 of them with the Met Police kennels.

Maureen Whyte of Paw Patrol Westmeath was one of the organisers of the meeting and MC on the night. She has 12 cats, four dogs, five goats and two rabbits. Maureen has been rescuing animals for years, ever since she found a box of kittens dumped on the N4 on her way to work. Rescuing has become a way of life for her and has helped her mental health, she said.

She described the level of abuse and neglect of animals as “a scandal” and urged the audience to help fight cruelty and secure a life worth living for all animals.

Maureen urged those present to encourage people to “adopt, don’t shop”, because there are so many animals in need of loving homes.

Carmel Foran, along with Maureen and veteran rescuers Maeve O’Donoghue and Mary Gavin, recently formed Paw Patrol Westmeath. They need help rehoming pets and are looking for foster homes.

Paw Patrol are also actively involved in trapping and neutering feral cats. They are currently feeding a colony of 12 to 15 cats in Mullingar, with the help of local businesses. They also lend out cat and dog traps to members of the public.

Carmel commended Westmeath County Council “for giving us a new and improved pound and two new, proactive dog wardens”. She thanked Cllr Ken Glynn “who liaised on our behalf with the council to get the work done”.

Cats in the Community representative Annette Barry said their passion is trapping, neutering and releasing cats. They tame feral kittens in their own homes.

“We have our own equipment but there are only two of us and we need more help,” Annette pleaded. They are not a registered charity and therefore get no government funding.

Animal cruelty is out of hand, according to Martina Kenny from the My Lovely Horse animal rescue group, who have 800 animals in their care at the moment. Last year the operation cost €1.5m to run and this year it is likely to hit €2m, she said.

Sarah Mason retired from the WSPCA two years ago but is still working away. She said she needs volunteers to help, not only with the animals but with the paperwork involved. “I am tired, we are all tired, so if I could get lots of volunteers to do lots of work, that would be great,” she said.

Maureen Whyte, speaking to the Westmeath Examiner after the meeting, said she was delighted with the turnout and the response. “It was brilliant,” she beamed.

Many of those present waited around to chat over tea and coffee and to fill in their volunteer forms.