BY MARK MCKELVEY
Omagh District Council area has been described as the worst location in Britain for stray and unwanted dogs, and the statistics are there to prove it.
This accusation has come from Linda Hill who works on the front-line dealing with abandoned and unwanted animals every day with Canine Care In Gortrush Industrial Estate in Omagh.
According to Linda the dog warden in Omagh is picking up eight or nine dogs a week which is between 400 to 500 a year. Canine care has the same annual figure which gives the Council area somewhere in the region of 900 to 1000 unwanted and lost dogs per annum.
Considering that a Dogs Trust survey revealed there are approximately 11000 stray dogs in the North, with at least 3000 of these having to be put down, the Omagh rate is disproportionately high considering there are 26 council areas.
Linda feels this uneven geographical spread of stray dogs illustrates fully the severity of the problem in this area, as she declared, "Omagh District is one of the worst areas, not only in the North but in all of the UK".
She said, "This is a terribly bad reflection on the community of Omagh. I am not saying everyone is bad, but obviously there is some sort of problem that needs to be addressed.
"We have had around 120 dogs this year so far, from those handed in, unwanted litters or simply from people who can no longer look after them properly. Out of these 30 have been re-homed and 50 transferred through the dogs trust to England.
"The reasons for this are hard to know. I started re-homing dogs in November 1997 and it was a big problem then, dealing with over 700 a year. Things did improve for a number of years, but for some reason we seem to be going down a slippery slope again.
Linda feels there is three main ways to reduce these figures; neutering, micro-chipping and educational awareness before undertaking responsibility for an animal.
"The best advice I have is to have your dog neutered to reduce unwanted litters, Also micro-chipping would help.
"A chip is inserted under the dogs skin for life for the cost of £20. The owners information is then stored on a database so they can then locate their dog if it goes missing.
"There is many a dog that comes in here that is obviously well looked after but we just cannot find its owners.
"Dog ownership is a commitment and if you are only half-hearted about it I would say wait until you are truly ready."
to own a dog.
We would big time encourage micro-chipping as it greatly reduces the amount of dogs that come into shelters like this.
"We appeal to people to have an open mind, do their homework to determine if they have the room and lifestyle to accommodate a dog before adopting a dog, so there is an environment that suits both the needs of the dog as well as the owners.
