An East Donegal-based dog rehoming charity has been forced to close to new intakes due to overwhelming demand.
Donegal Rescue Dogs is the rehoming branch of Twin Towns Lost and Found Dogs, managed by Doreen Russell.
The charity has seen dogs ‘surrendered in their droves’ in Donegal this year.
In an emotional post, the volunteers called on people to seriously consider the commitment required before becoming pet owners.
“Our volunteers (Donegal Rescue Dogs & Twin Lost and Found Dogs) have almost single handedly bore the brunt of the number of dogs being surrendered in their droves in Donegal this past year,” they said.
“We are sifting through the endless list of dogs still waiting to come in. We are prioritising emergencies and the most vulnerable.”
They cited cases of people surrendering dogs because they are going on holiday, because their puppies are too hyper, or because they are struggling with training.
“What the heck is wrong with you people? You got these dogs, you knew there was a commitment involved, bloody well follow through then and stop passing the buck to the rescues,” the Rescue Dogs post said.
The charity said they are ‘beyond full’ with no light at the end of the tunnel, announcing that Spot, an elderly dog is the last member to be taken in.
Spot was a priority case for Donegal Rescue Dogs