500 signatures reached
To: Government of Ireland
Petition for Animal Welfare in Ireland
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I would like them to enforce mandatory microchipping of all animals considered as pets as well as spaying/neutering of animals (see text below for full info), provision funding for animal rescues, as well as prosecution of pet thieves. Effectively all people found not to be complying with the new regulations should be impact-fully fined and/or face jail time/community service.
I would like to see more thorough Investigations conducted into breaches of Animal Welfare, more enforcement of the various legislation & harsher penalties & sentences for those convicted of offences.
I would like to see more thorough Investigations conducted into breaches of Animal Welfare, more enforcement of the various legislation & harsher penalties & sentences for those convicted of offences.
Why is this important?
I have decided to start a petition for animal welfare in Ireland as it seems that the Irish government law enforcement, both judges and Gardai, do not take it seriously.
It is unbelievable the amount of animal abuse that occurs on a daily basis. I subscribe to animal rescue pages on Facebook and regularly donate to them to support their cause. Unfortunately many of their stories are sad, of pregnant cats roaming, orphaned animals, stolen beloved pets, and worse yet the reckless behaviour of some individuals that often leads to the death of animals or intentional abuse of dogs, cats and horses alike.
Recently I have read and seen pictures of a horse set alight, a horse accidentally killed by a truck driver when his owner decided to cross a dual carriageway, horses left starving or with injuries, such as a broken leg with the bone protruding through the skin likely causing immense suffering until the poor animal was mercifully euthanised due to the extent of the injury. Not to mention the amount of stolen dog posts I see on a daily basis, as well as stories of teenagers kicking around a cat (and a dog in another instance) for fun.
I am thankful to all who have signed thus far, as well as those who are currently contemplating it. I appreciate that maybe my initial petition may have been a bit confusing as per some comments I had received.
To clarify, Ireland does have welfare laws (Control of Dogs Act 1986, (Amended 1992); Animal Health & Welfare Act 2013 & 2019; Control of Horses Act 1996, to name a few of which I was politely made aware of). Are they being implemented and prosecuted to the best of their ability? I strongly believe that they are not.
As I haven't had the time to read all the laws (with an infant at home), I will generalise what I know. It is mandatory to microchip dogs and horses (but this has a 'from date' which then excludes some animals from before this date), while currently cats do not have a legal requirement. What I am proposing is that all pets have a legal requirement, including checks done by Gardai. In addition, I propose for all pets to be checked at vets for microchipping and have it done mandatorily by a certain age of the animals life. I would suggest 500€ for cats and dogs, while 2000€ for horses and larger animals (i.e. donkeys, mules). If a person has enough money to feed a pet animal, they should also have enough to pay the small fee associated with microchipping. These are only suggestions, my point is that we need more impactful fines.
In regards to spaying/neutering, it is a worldwide problem and yes, most people are advised to do it but a good few still decide against. That should be mandatory as well, but provisions, in the form of Government subsidies should be set aside to assist pet owners with the financial cost. Special circumstances could be considered for those who take care of feral animals in their area and as mentioned below, rescues should be able to TNR (trap and release) these animals after spaying/neutering is done.
I know certain websites don’t ‘condone’ the sale of animals, but at the same time still allow their sites to be used as a marketplace for illegal pet trade. A lot of the dogs being sold run the risk of improper breeding as well as inhumane conditions. Also, some animals are used as bait for dog fights and there should be enormous fines for those involved in contributing to a preventable death of an animal.
I have been made aware that Animal Rescues do get an annual grant, but with the current situation of feral/orphaned/abandoned/injured animals out there, there is no way that amount is enough and they currently need more funds provisioned. If we worked to address the issue of microchipping with owner liability and spaying/neutering it would control the pet population better, thus easing the burden on animal rescues.
Pet thieves and animal abusers should be prosecuted harsher. People found to be stealing or abusing animals should face heavier fines and/or jail sentences. We need the Gardai and other investigatory bodies to ensure people are charged, as well as judges to impart APPROPRIATE SENTENCING. It should not be allowed to just let the person off with a slap on the wrist.
If people are unwilling to cooperate and pay the fines, they should face community service and/or jail time. Their animals should then be taken off them and they should be banned from acquiring further animals. A public photographic register of these individuals should be set up to allow the public be made aware of potential thieves/abusers should be considered.
So to reiterate my proposals they are:
1. Mandatory microchipping of all animals considered as pets, including those used for sully racing.
2. Mandatory spaying/neutering unless a registered pet breeder with the government subsidising the cost for individuals/veterinary practices to make that attainable.
3. Additional funding for animal rescues should be provisioned.
4. Pet thieves and animal abusers should be prosecuted harsher.
5. All people found not to be complying with the new regulations should be impactfully fined and/or face jail time/community service.
6. I would like to see more thorough Investigations conducted into breaches of Animal Welfare, more enforcement of the various legislation & harsher penalties & sentences for those convicted of offences.
I am an animal lover, and I have seen many other people’s comments on online posts which also lead me to believe there are others out there like me who would like to see a real change in Ireland. This would require lawmakers and judges/Gardai to actually implement these changes versus ‘letting them off’ or ignoring the issue. Please sign and share this petition and ask for our lawmakers to finally make a difference!
It is unbelievable the amount of animal abuse that occurs on a daily basis. I subscribe to animal rescue pages on Facebook and regularly donate to them to support their cause. Unfortunately many of their stories are sad, of pregnant cats roaming, orphaned animals, stolen beloved pets, and worse yet the reckless behaviour of some individuals that often leads to the death of animals or intentional abuse of dogs, cats and horses alike.
Recently I have read and seen pictures of a horse set alight, a horse accidentally killed by a truck driver when his owner decided to cross a dual carriageway, horses left starving or with injuries, such as a broken leg with the bone protruding through the skin likely causing immense suffering until the poor animal was mercifully euthanised due to the extent of the injury. Not to mention the amount of stolen dog posts I see on a daily basis, as well as stories of teenagers kicking around a cat (and a dog in another instance) for fun.
I am thankful to all who have signed thus far, as well as those who are currently contemplating it. I appreciate that maybe my initial petition may have been a bit confusing as per some comments I had received.
To clarify, Ireland does have welfare laws (Control of Dogs Act 1986, (Amended 1992); Animal Health & Welfare Act 2013 & 2019; Control of Horses Act 1996, to name a few of which I was politely made aware of). Are they being implemented and prosecuted to the best of their ability? I strongly believe that they are not.
As I haven't had the time to read all the laws (with an infant at home), I will generalise what I know. It is mandatory to microchip dogs and horses (but this has a 'from date' which then excludes some animals from before this date), while currently cats do not have a legal requirement. What I am proposing is that all pets have a legal requirement, including checks done by Gardai. In addition, I propose for all pets to be checked at vets for microchipping and have it done mandatorily by a certain age of the animals life. I would suggest 500€ for cats and dogs, while 2000€ for horses and larger animals (i.e. donkeys, mules). If a person has enough money to feed a pet animal, they should also have enough to pay the small fee associated with microchipping. These are only suggestions, my point is that we need more impactful fines.
In regards to spaying/neutering, it is a worldwide problem and yes, most people are advised to do it but a good few still decide against. That should be mandatory as well, but provisions, in the form of Government subsidies should be set aside to assist pet owners with the financial cost. Special circumstances could be considered for those who take care of feral animals in their area and as mentioned below, rescues should be able to TNR (trap and release) these animals after spaying/neutering is done.
I know certain websites don’t ‘condone’ the sale of animals, but at the same time still allow their sites to be used as a marketplace for illegal pet trade. A lot of the dogs being sold run the risk of improper breeding as well as inhumane conditions. Also, some animals are used as bait for dog fights and there should be enormous fines for those involved in contributing to a preventable death of an animal.
I have been made aware that Animal Rescues do get an annual grant, but with the current situation of feral/orphaned/abandoned/injured animals out there, there is no way that amount is enough and they currently need more funds provisioned. If we worked to address the issue of microchipping with owner liability and spaying/neutering it would control the pet population better, thus easing the burden on animal rescues.
Pet thieves and animal abusers should be prosecuted harsher. People found to be stealing or abusing animals should face heavier fines and/or jail sentences. We need the Gardai and other investigatory bodies to ensure people are charged, as well as judges to impart APPROPRIATE SENTENCING. It should not be allowed to just let the person off with a slap on the wrist.
If people are unwilling to cooperate and pay the fines, they should face community service and/or jail time. Their animals should then be taken off them and they should be banned from acquiring further animals. A public photographic register of these individuals should be set up to allow the public be made aware of potential thieves/abusers should be considered.
So to reiterate my proposals they are:
1. Mandatory microchipping of all animals considered as pets, including those used for sully racing.
2. Mandatory spaying/neutering unless a registered pet breeder with the government subsidising the cost for individuals/veterinary practices to make that attainable.
3. Additional funding for animal rescues should be provisioned.
4. Pet thieves and animal abusers should be prosecuted harsher.
5. All people found not to be complying with the new regulations should be impactfully fined and/or face jail time/community service.
6. I would like to see more thorough Investigations conducted into breaches of Animal Welfare, more enforcement of the various legislation & harsher penalties & sentences for those convicted of offences.
I am an animal lover, and I have seen many other people’s comments on online posts which also lead me to believe there are others out there like me who would like to see a real change in Ireland. This would require lawmakers and judges/Gardai to actually implement these changes versus ‘letting them off’ or ignoring the issue. Please sign and share this petition and ask for our lawmakers to finally make a difference!