Author: niamhmurray

Want to support the environment and de-clutter your home by recycling your electrical waste? Then check out the ERP FREE Electrical Recycling Drop Off Day at: Castleblayney, Lidl Car Park on Saturday April 13th, 2024, 10am to 4pm.

You can drop off any household item with a plug, cable or battery – large or small – from TVs, washing machines, IT equipment and power tools to mobile phones, battery-operated toys and wireless ear buds. We even recycle used vapes!

And don’t forget to support Batteries for Barretstown and bring your used batteries for recycling!

It was a very busy year at Monaghan County Council Dog Pound in 2023.  513 dogs were admitted during the year, a massive increase on the 382 admitted in 2022 and almost 3 times the number of dogs admitted in 2021.  Almost half of the dogs admitted to the Dog Pound in 2023 were surrendered by their owners.

Why is this?

A lot of people acquired dogs during the pandemic when they were spending more time at home.  Now that people are returning to a more traditional work pattern, some are finding that they no longer have time for their dog.  Some people chose dog breeds that were not suitable for their circumstances, for example, the dog grew too big for the space available in their house and garden.  Some people chose female dogs, but did not have them spayed (neutered).  There were 180 pups less than 6 months old admitted to the Dog Pound in 2023, 35% of the total – the highest percentage ever.  This may have been caused by the dramatic increase in inexperienced owners during the pandemic failing to take action to prevent unwanted pregnancies, leading to an increase in litters of unwanted pups, for whom they could not get new homes.  The surge in demand for dogs during the pandemic has been followed by a collapse in demand.  These factors have contributed to a massive increase in the numbers of dogs admitted to Dog Pounds and Dog Shelters across the country, and to Dog Shelters having to maintain these dogs for much longer periods before they can be rehomed to a new owner.

Reasons why dogs were surrendered to the Dog Pound

In 2023, Monaghan County Council asked owners for the reasons why they were surrendering their dogs.  The vast majority (77%) of reasons were owner issues.  The most common of these (40%) was that the owner no longer wanted the dogs.  Most of these unwanted dogs were pups that the owner was unable to get homes for.

Over 20% of owners stated that they could no longer keep their dogs.  This was mostly because of health issues, for example, the owner or a member of the owner’s family had fallen ill and was going to be ill for a prolonged period.  Other reasons included: death of the owner; owner moving into a nursing home; owner moving house; pressure from landlord or neighbours; new baby in the house.  8 owners said the dog had grown too big for their house or garden space.  1 owner cited financial issues.

Around 10% of owners stated that they no longer had enough time to look after their dog, or that there was no one at home to mind the dog.

Just over 20% of dogs were surrendered because of behavioural issues.  Roaming was the most common complaint.  The dog could not be kept at home, mostly because the owner did not have a secure area, but in some cases because the dog was able to dig or jump out of its pen.  Too lively and rough was another common complaint – this mainly related to larger dogs either jumping on children, or pulling too hard on the lead, or tripping up the owner.  Some dogs were too difficult for the owner to handle, sometimes because it had become aggressive with family members or with other animals, or because it was overly protective, or because the dog could not be left alone.  Some dogs had been recently acquired by the owner and were not mixing or settling in well with other pets in the family.

Of the 513 dogs admitted to Monaghan County Council Dog Pound in 2023, 31 dogs were reclaimed by their owners; 10 dogs were euthanised – 7 of these because they had attacked sheep, 1 had bitten a cyclist and 2 were very aggressive towards other dogs.  Of the remainder, 257 were rehomed to members of the public and 209 were transferred to Carrick Dog Shelter.  Carrick Dog Shelter then transferred dogs to other rescues around the country for rehoming.

Advice for prospective dog owners:

If you are planning to acquire a dog, ensure that:

• You have adequate space and shelter to accommodate and securely enclose your dog when it reaches its full adult size.
• You understand the dog’s needs in terms of feeding, exercise and shelter at the various stages of its life. Certain breeds require a far higher level of daily stimulation and exercise than others.
• You have a basic understanding of dog behaviour and how to encourage good behaviour and discourage bad behaviour.
• You check out the websites and Facebook pages of local Dog Pounds and Dog Rescues on a regular basis – they may have just the dog you are looking for! They will also be able to advise you on what kind of dog will best suit your circumstances.

If you have a dog that you do not plan to breed from, ensure that it is neutered as soon as possible.  Most small and medium-sized breeds can be neutered at around 6 months of age.  Larger breeds should not be neutered until 12 – 18 months of age, to avoid interference with their growth and development.  Your vet will advise you on the best time to neuter your dog.

If you plan to breed from your dog, ensure that you will be able to source homes for the puppies.  Once you have finished breeding your dog, ensure that it is neutered as soon as possible.

Monaghan County Council is now offering a €100 spay refund voucher with every female dog that is rehomed from the Dog Pound.  This allows the owner to apply for a refund of €100 when they pay a vet to neuter their female dog within 6 months of rehoming the dog from the Dog Pound.

Want to support the environment and de-clutter your home by recycling your electrical waste? Then check out the ERP FREE Electrical Recycling Drop Off Day at:

Monaghan Town Centre, Lidl Car Park on Saturday 20th May 2023, 10am to 4pm

You can drop off any household item with a plug or a battery such as TVs, washing machines, IT equipment, stereos, mobile phones, broken battery-operated toys, cables, chargers and even wireless ear buds! And don’t forget to support Batteries for Barretstown and bring your used batteries for recycling!

The Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, Eamon Ryan TD, signed the New Solid Fuel Regulations into Irish Law and they came into effect on the 31st of October 2022.  The Air Pollution Act 1987 (Solid Fuel) Regulations 2022 aims to build upon previous efforts to improve Air Quality across Ireland and to reduce premature deaths and illnesses arising from air pollution. The new regulations are being introduced across a range of fuel types to ensure that the most polluting solid fuels will no longer be available for sale on the Irish market.

The primary focus of the draft regulations is on the large-scale, commercial sale of smoky fuels, including smoky coal, turf, and wet wood. These fuels are proven to be a major contributor to air pollution in Ireland.

Very low smoke emissions rates will be set for coal, coal-based products and manufactured solid fuel or peat briquettes, effectively prohibiting the use of bituminous coal i.e., smoky coal in the future. Smoky coal refers to coal that is branded Polish, Columbian, House coal etc. The New Regulations also introduce restrictions on the sale of wet wood and turf.  Burning of solid fuels, is a significant contributor to poor local air quality by increasing the amount of fine particulate matter (PM 2.5) and other pollutants in our homes and communities.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimate that each year there are 1,300 premature deaths in Ireland due to air pollution. The burning of bituminous coal and other smoky solid fuels releases particulate matter into the atmosphere. The most harmful of these, PM2.5particles, have been proven to have a significant detrimental effect on human health.

Medical research has shown links between the burning of bituminous coal in private houses and increased health risks including heart attack, stroke, cancer, brain tumors, asthma, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, and many other cardiac and respiratory conditions, as well as premature mortality. The elderly, the very young and other vulnerable groups, such as people with respiratory conditions, are particularly at risk.

Alternative, low-smoke fuels/ Smokeless Coals are cleaner, more cost-efficient and reduce exposure to harmful pollutants.

Householders should be aware that burning any type of waste in a domestic fire is illegal and leads to the release of toxic substances into the air in your home and the surrounding environment. Treated timber, which contains glues, resins, and paints, should also never be burned in a domestic fire for the same reasons.

Under the regulations the following new health standards for solid fuels will apply from 31st October this year.

• Coal products and manufactured solid fuels must have a smoke emission rate of less than 10g/hour.
• Manufactured part biomass products must have a smoke emission rate of less than 5g/hr.
• Coal products and manufactured solid fuels, including manufactured part biomass products, must have a sulfur content of less than 2% by weight on a dry ash-free basis.
• Fuel products which are 100% biomass products including wood products and wood logs, supplied in units under 2m³, must have a moisture content less than 25%.
• Wet wood sold over these volumes will be required to come with instructions for the purchaser on how to appropriately dry the wood i.e., the need to store and season wet wood until it is sufficiently dried.

• It will not be possible to sell turf via retail, online or other online or media outlets, in public houses or other public places. Persons with turbary rights may continue to cut turf for their own use and retain the ability to gift turf, therefore if you currently source turf from family, friends, neighbor’s, outside of the channels previously mentioned this can continue.

Monaghan County Council shall be responsible for enforcing these regulations in its functional area and are running an Environmental Awareness Campaign in December.

Compliance Inspections shall be carried out by Monaghan County Council’s Enforcement Officers, particularly in respect of retailers, coal merchants and coal delivery trucks. This will include Vehicle Checkpoints with An Garda Siochana throughout the county to ensure only Approved Solid Fuels are being sold within the county.

Further information on The New Solid Fuel Regulations can be found on Monaghan County Councils Website https://monaghan.ie/environment/solid-fuels-regulations-tab/,

What the new regulations mean to Householders: FAQ for Householders , Retailers: FAQ for Retailers , Producers/Importers: FAQ for Producers or Importers ,Couriers/Haulage Companies: FAQ for Couriers and Haulage Companies can be found on the Government website, Clean Air.ie or by the following the links displayed above from Monaghan County Councils Website.

County Monaghan’s Live Air Quality Data, can also be viewed on Monaghan County Council’s Website – Air Quality Section. (https://monaghan.ie/environment/air-quality-data/),

Together with the local government sector,  Monaghan County Council is committed to taking a lead in #ClimateAction.

Today (22nd April 2022) is Earth Day, together, for everyone, everything, every day… #InvestInOurPlanet

Local authorities are uniquely placed to mobilise #ClimateAction in communities and that’s a key goal of our strategy to tackle climate change.

Watch this short video for further information on #EarthDay