A Wicklow man who rescued 70 dogs and kept them in his own home can no longer afford to keep them.

The man started taking in abandoned, unwanted, and stray dogs a few years ago. During that time, he took it upon himself to have the animals neutered, vaccinated and as well looked after as possible. However, as the number of dogs began to multiply, the man realised that he could no longer afford to care for the number of pups in his home. Ash Animal Rescue in Wicklow said that the man contacted them earlier this week asking for help. "Yesterday we began to transport the dogs from this man’s premises to ours," said the rescue. "In total 50 dogs came to us yesterday, some puppies among them, some heavily pregnant and one who has given birth to five puppies since she arrived. "4 elderly dogs have gone to foster with a volunteer and today we will collect the remainder." The rescue said that before the animals are rehomed, many still need to be spayed, neutered, microchipped, and treated for flees. "We know some people won’t understand this situation," they said, "but the man in question genuinely did his best for his animals." "The mere fact he had 70 dogs is a reflection of the pressure people in rescue feel to push themselves to the limit to help animals in need." The group have set up a GoFundMe page to try to raise the amount needed to properly care for the rescues. They have already raised €3,000 over their €7,000 goal. It will be a few more weeks before the new rescue dogs will be able to be rehomed.