Animal cruelty in Dublin like ‘scenes from a horror film’

By Darren J. Prior

Speaking to Dublin People, the Head of Animal Welfare Advocacy at Kildare-based My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue (MLHR) has described animal welfare cruelty and neglect in their outreach in Dublin as “scenes that wouldn’t be out of place in a horror film.”

She was speaking a week after she and her colleagues in MLHR met TDs and Senators in Leinster House.

According to Kerry-Anne Pollock her charity routinely see:

“Horses dumped in parks, dogs bred to death in backyard operations. This isn’t rural cruelty, it’s urban suffering happening in plain sight.”

Referencing a recent case in Tolka Valley Park in Finglas, Kerry-Anne said:

“The horse found dead in Tolka Valley Park was more than a tragedy, it was a warning. Dublin’s urban horse crisis is a public safety issue, not just an animal welfare one. Children play in these parks. Families walk their dogs here. And yet, there’s zero accountability.”

Criticising the systemic failures that she says are allowing this crisis to deepen she said:

“The system is broken. Horses are microchipped, rarely checked. Breeders go unlicensed. And when abuse is reported, there’s often no follow-up.

“We’ve had more dead horses in Dublin in the last 12 months than convictions for cruelty in the entire country.

“The state response is all bark, no bite, and animals, especially in this city, are paying the price.

“We met TDs across parties last week to demand real change and we were clear: Dublin needs targeted enforcement, proper funding, and political will. Without that, the cruelty will continue and so will the public’s anger.”

Representatives of My Lovely Horse Animal Rescue including Kerry-Ann and Martina Kenny attended a cross-party meeting in Leinster House on Wednesday 2nd July.

Also attending was John O’Callaghan from Dog Advocacy Ireland and representatives of Working Animal Guardians – WAG Ireland.

MLHR’s four asks to the Government are:

1. Fund and implement a Garda-led Animal Welfare Crime Unit pilot
2. Ensure public consultation on the Dog Breeding Establishment (DBE) Act Amendment Bill
3. Increase national animal welfare funding to €15+ million 4.
4. Appoint a National Animal Welfare Director under the Department of Justice to ensure consistent oversight and coordination

Speaking to Dublin People Cllr. Maurice Dockrell (Fine Gael, Blackrock) that as a councillor “and as a citizen, I am angry — deeply angry — that not enough is being done to tackle the epidemic of animal cruelty in Ireland.

“We are known across Europe as the “Puppy Farming Capital” — a title we should treat as a national disgrace. Our continued failure to stamp out this vile, exploitative trade reflects very poorly on us as a society. It is inexcusable.

“The law as it stands is wholly inadequate and anaemic.

“Ireland’s Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 was a leap forward at the time.

“But over a decade later, glaring enforcement gaps, advances in scientific understanding of animal sentience, and evolving EU standards make it clear that a second generational reform is urgently needed.

“What is required now is a focused, robust legislative package. “Such reforms would not only bring Irish law into line with the best European standards — they would reflect the expectations of an increasingly conscious and compassionate public.

“We cannot claim to be a progressive country while animals are abused in plain sight, while offenders face little consequence, and while frontline responders operate without proper State support.

“How we treat animals is a mirror of our values. At the moment, that mirror reflects a society that is looking the other way.

“If we are serious about protecting the voiceless, and if we want to raise our standards then reform must be bolder and immediate”, Cllr. Dockrell added.

Speaking to Dublin People John O’Callaghan from Dog Advocacy Ireland said:

“Mahatma Gandhi said: “The greatness of a nation and it’s moral progress, can be judged by the way it’s animals are treated.”

“Regrettably, Ireland rates dismally poorly against Mahatma Gandhi’s quotation.

“Successive Irish governments have abdicated responsibility for animal welfare protection legislation.

“Recently, I’ve sat in courtrooms where registered ‘Dog Breeding Establishment’ breeders were convicted for the appalling conditions of their approved premises, together with the horrific mistreatment and suffering of dogs in their care.

“This intolerable situation is a national scandal which must be urgently addressed.

“We must get government intervention and action now”, John said.

Kerry-Anne Pollock concluded to Dublin People:

“Without targeted enforcement, proper funding, and the political will to act, this cruelty will continue, and so will the public outrage. Dublin deserves better, Ireland deserves better.

“These animals deserve better.”