A number of deficiencies in the running of the city’s dog shelter have been identified in two inspections carried out on behalf of City Hall.
These include the failure to ‘bag- up’ dead dogs.
The inspections also found there was no “paper recording” which could “compromise animal welfare” while there was a risk of infections and a “disease outbreak”.
Following public concerns about the Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA) centre, City Hall asked Cork County Council veterinary staff to carry out a review there.
A formal inspection was carried out at the Mahon premises on April 18, with a random inspection on June 6. In their final report, the inspectors said they were “somewhat disappointed with the response by the CSPCA”.
The inspectors found “the freezer used for storage of dead animals contained some frozen dogs that were not ‘bagged-up’. This situation had “deteriorated significantly” by the time of the second inspection. The inspectors stated: “It is important dog carcasses are bagged-up immediately after euthanasia as body fluids and materials emanate from carcasses immediately after death.”
In the original report, inspectors found inadequate ventilation in two kennels which was later rectified by the CSPCA.
In addition, “there was no means of containing effluent/contaminated material in the isolation kennels” which was “a critical factor in containing disease”.
A row of outdoor kennels were covered by corrugated sheeting which, in hot weather, “would not provide adequate shade”. While this was fixed, the CSPCA did not address the inadequate shelter to cope with “adverse environmental conditions”.
There was no “paper recording at any of the kennels” with the inspectors noting: “Compromised communication will compromise animal welfare.”
Dogs outside of the Control of Dogs Act were being accommodated with dogs entering the facility which “compromises the health of dogs outside the Act”. This was addressed by the CSPCA.
By the time of the second report, a new problem arose with “excessive quantities of faeces evident in some kennels.”
There were inadequate wire mesh partition walls in kennels which did not extend fully to the floor surface, meaning a “risk of transfer of infectious agents from one kennel to another.”
This was not remedied when the second inspection was carried out, while the “wash-hand basins are still not equipped with a bactericidal soap dispenser and there was no paper towel in the two dispensers.”
A further random inspection will be carried out this year, and every year from now on. Councillors are to discuss the report’s findings with officials on Monday.
There was no comment available from the (CSPCA) centre today.