‘It’s incredibly rewarding’: Cork DAWG appeals to public to consider fostering a dog

CORK Dog Action Welfare Group (DAWG) has appealed to those in a position to donate to the charity or to foster a dog to consider doing so as the animal welfare organisation grapples to care for and rehome a “big spike” in puppies.

Volunteer at Cork DAWG, Máire O’Sullivan said the charity is being inundated with surrenders and requests to take in puppies in particular at present.

“I don’t know if I can point to specific dogs being Christmas presents but certainly even if you look at the [Cork Dog Action Welfare Group] Facebook right now, there’s a big puppy boom.

“What we also get sometimes is dogs that were mainly bred for the Christmas market and didn’t sell, for example.

“We have both of those and then maybe people who did get a dog with the best of intentions but realised they were in over their heads, for example, and need to rehome.

“And, very sadly, we have a lot of very loved dogs who are having to be given up because people can’t get accommodation with them,” Máire told The Echo.

The charity, like many recuses all around the country, is “extremely busy” with the number of animals in need of a new home ballooning at this time of year.

For those looking to assist the charity, donations or offers to foster a dog make a big positive impact.

“One of the biggest things is funding.

“We have to pay for our kennel spaces, we get dogs in in bad conditions that need a lot of healthcare and we’re getting a lot of puppies at the moment, that’s a lot of vaccinations.

“They’ll also need to be spayed and neutered too so money is a huge thing,” Máire explained.

“The other thing then is if people would be willing to foster. 

"It’s incredibly rewarding.

“It’s a lovely experience to watch a very shy or hurt dog become themselves again or come out of their shell.

“If people were interested in fostering that would of course be a huge, huge help.

“It just means we can take more dogs, keep more dogs alive basically and home more dogs ultimately as well.” 

To find out more about fostering a dog or to donate to Cork DAWG see www.dogactionwelfaregroup.ie