Wicklow Animal Welfare

01/09/2026

31/08/2026

🚨 **WE'RE DONE SUGARCOATING IT.** 🚨

This is from a real surrender ask.
**“Unfortunately, due to a change in landlord restrictions as well as my husband and I expecting a baby, we’re having to re-home our sweet fur baby. … We’re trying to avoid taking her to the pound if at all possible. We’d really love for her to find a good, safe, happy home with no risk of euthanasia 😅💕🐾”**

Read that last bit again. *“No risk of euthanasia 😅.”* We're struggling to find anything funny about that.

There is something profoundly broken about casually asking an overwhelmed rescue to guarantee that your dog won't die after you've decided she can no longer be part of your life.

And before anyone starts: yes, landlord restrictions can create very real problems but “we're having a baby” should not be casually sitting on the list of reasons your dog has to go.

Your dog is not your **practice family** until the baby arrives and doesn't become disposable when you become pregnant.

Here's what people seem to think happens:
You surrender your dog. A rescue swoops in. A foster magically appears.
Someone adopts her immediately. Everyone lives happily ever after. 💕

**That is not the reality in 2026.**

Rescues & shelters are overflowing. Adoptions are slow. Foster homes are exhausted. Wonderful dogs are waiting MONTHS, even years, for homes.

So when you say, “We don't want to take her to the pound because she might be euthanized,” what you're actually saying is: *We understand our decision puts our dog at risk of dying, so we'd like you to absorb that risk.*

Someone else should open their home, pay for her care, find her a family, and carry the emotional burden if there isn't anywhere for her to go.

**No.** Find the pet-friendly housing. Talk to your landlord. Ask for temporary help. Hire the trainer. Walk the dog while you're tired. Prepare your dog for the baby. Change your routine. **You made a commitment to a living animal.**

Sometimes surrender truly is unavoidable. We know that but surrender should be the **last option after you've fought like hell to keep your commitment**, not the convenient solution when your life enters a new chapter.

Your dog doesn't understand why the person who called her their “fur baby” suddenly doesn't have room when a human baby came along. She only knows **her family disappeared.** And there is absolutely nothing 😅 about that.

**Do better.**

— Dixie Girl Dog Rescue

31/08/2026

Have your say, I know THEY will.

Don't leave it too late

8 days left to make your submission to the agriculture committee on the Public consultation on the Pre-Legislative Scrutiny process of the General Scheme of the Dog Breeding Establishments (Amendment) Bill 2026
https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/making-a-submission/public-consultations/

Tips on what your submission should include can be found here https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/committees/making-a-submission/guidance/

30/08/2026

We have some great supporters, and none better than Darren and Trish Boylan, they of the cushion Kings favourite visitors, they have been supporting us here for the past number of years with food, treats, beds, everything really.
Last week Darren decided to go a step further and had a sale of his wonderful art and pottery pieces. It raised the incredible amount of €600🤩that is a huge amount for us here and a great achievement. Thank you Darren and Trish and all your family and friends who bought pieces. Thank you from those who would thank you if they could 🙏💜🙏💜very much appreciated.

29/08/2026

What a month!! When others are saying things are slowing down, not for us, ever. But then again we take dogs others don’t/wont, we don’t cherry pick and therefore end up with the ones no one else wants. Every dog deserves a chance. We took in two dogs with broken legs this month, both had plates inserted this week, Harry the chihuahua is still in Avondale vet clinic in Arklow, wonder vet Declan Ryan did the operations and we are confident things will work out for them. The little eight year old Cairn from Carlow/kilkenny pound went to be spayed, we thought she might be already spayed at her age, but needless to say she wasn’t and it was discovered that she had cancer of the uterus. This could have been prevented if she had been spayed earlier. We are hopeful she too will make a full recovery and like all the others will be looking for the best homes. All our homing is done through our WAW Instagram and Facebook Adoption pages. Please help if you can and thanks to those who always do what they can. Monthly subscriptions are a great way to help the animals and allows us to budget and pay our ever increasing bills. PayPal, Revolut or bank details, top right of the page. Or text WAW to 50300🙏we get no grants/tax payers money.

28/08/2026

Sharing a caged bird is not a happy bird

26/08/2026

We had a lovely visit today from Kerry Clear and her fabulous children Mathew J and Madeleine, and her four rescue doggies. Kerry supports rescues in a different way than most people, Kerry sends gifts and treats to the staff and volunteers of rescues, she believes, as we do, that the people on the coal face are often under enormous pressure making sure that all their ‘charges’ are okay that they forget about their own needs. That is true for real rescuers who put their hearts and souls into each and every animal. Kerry recognises this and we all appreciate what she does. We still talk about the van load of Easter eggs she sent us earlier this year 🙏💜🙏💜and anyone who knows me, knows I love ‘goodies’, what a lovely hamper of delicious homemade goodies🙏Pip is standing guard in the background 😊

26/08/2026

We are so grateful for the support we get, without this support we would not be able to do what we do. We have promised every animal that comes in here that it will never be hungry again and thanks to the wonderful people of GoreyBrayVet, Maxizoo Bray and Gorey, and Blackrock Veterinary Clinic who think of the animals here. Thank you all and particularly Martha, Vic, Wendy and Sara who not only collected it but delivered it here too💪team work 💜🙏💜🙏

25/08/2026

I’m only surprised he was allowed to film in there, no a mother in sight, so sad.

25/08/2026

We had a lovely visit on Sunday from Sara, Adi, Mishi and Kate and past WAW adopted doggo Milo. They brought some wonderful donations from the people at Mediahuis who also had an online collection for the animals here. We are extremely grateful for the support we receive, we genuinely couldn’t do what we do without your help. Thank you from those who would thank you if they could 🙏💜🙏💜