OUT of 318 stray dogs handled by the Limerick City pound last year 168, or 53 per cent, were destroyed, according to the latest figures from the Department of the Environment.
In County Limerick 440 stray dogs were handled by the pound in 2013 and 183 animals, or 41 per cent, were put to sleep.
126 of the strays in the city pound were transferred to rescue with 24 re-homed or reclaimed. In the county pound, 211 were transferred to rescue and 46 were re-homed or reclaimed.
A total of 3516 stray dogs were killed in Irish pounds last year — an average of almost ten dogs a day. In comparison, Scotland, which has a similar population and ownership profile to Ireland, the daily destruction rate is less than two dogs a day.
According to veterinarian Pete Wedderburn, who is an advocate of neutering family pets, if they were not allowed to be born in the first place, there would be no need to euthanize unwanted dogs.
