Many years ago, back when I still had more hair than sense, my father was in the market for a new house. By the time he approached us, his children, he had rattled down the options to one village and two properties.
The village was Paulstown and the first property was a small bungalow with one bedroom and a large garden. The other: a two-story, somewhat ramshackle building on a busy road with a galvanized roof and nary a front lawn. Both properties would require some hard labour and sweat before they became somewhere we could live in comfort, he said, before asking us to choose which one we preferred.
Both had their charms but there was something in that ramshackle old place that awakened in my young mind a vision of what it could become. Today, with more sense than hair, I couldn't tell you what I had imagined but what I can tell you is that my father chose the bungalow and it became a beautiful home filled with happy memories. And the other property?
That became the Carlow-Kilkenny Dog Shelter. Clearly someone had envisioned a better use for it than I had! What a great location it was for it too. Just far enough outside of the city to give its four-legged residents some piece and quiet and large enough to keep them contained in relative safety and comfort.
For many years, the shelter was presided over by the ISPCA but earlier this year, the ISPCA relinquished their duties and the shelter was put up for tender. Many people in the region began to worry about the future of the shelter and the possibility that whoever took over its running would not have the best interests of the dogs housed by the shelter in mind.
The Dog Shelter is always looking to rehome its residents so if you think you have what it takes to give a dog a loving and caring home, check out their website for a list of dogs ready for a new home here.
In the wake of the uncertainty, peaceful protests and an online petition that garnered 13,000 signatures, a committee was set up to oversee the running of the local shelter. The intent of the committee, chaired by Cllr Andrew McGuinness and including local politicians and members of animal welfare groups and the IFA, was to ensure that whoever received the new contract to run the shelter would have the interests of the community and the animals at heart.
However, before long the contract to operate the shelter was awarded to the carcass disposal service ACS. The fears of the community seemed to have become incarnate. Public opposition to the decision increased and the fate of the shelter and its inhabitants was more precarious than ever. A new petition was signed by over 16,000 people and a protest was held last Saturday at the shelter opposing the awarding of the contract.
Thankfully, opponents to the controversial decision to award the contract to ACS can take small solace and brief respite as the company have withdrawn. The Dog Welfare Committee can now focus on finding a new operator that better fits with the desires of the community and do justice to the role in which they'll play in re-homing and caring for the lost and forgotten pets.
For now, the future of the shelter is still uncertain. Yet with all eyes on the story and keen interest from the public in finding a suitable operator, that future is beginning to look a little brighter. I can only hope that what once was a possible home to me and my family can remain a welcoming home to our favourite four-legged friends.
The Dog Shelter is always looking to rehome its residents so if you think you have what it takes to give a dog a loving and caring home, check out their website for a list of dogs ready for a new home here.
