Gardaí rescue 11 puppies from North Kildare following welfare concerns

The puppies will soon be transferred to local authorities.

Gardaí in Kildare have confiscated 11 dogs from a property in North Kildare last night. In a statement, An Garda Síochána outlined that the animals were removed due to welfare concerns. "11 puppies were seized overnight in the Kildare area due to animal welfare concerns," they said in a post on Facebook. "All puppies are safe and well and are currently being kept at Leixlip Garda Station. They will be transferred to the local authority." The news comes just days after Gardaí and the DSPCA rescued 140 animals from a makeshift petting farm in North County Dublin. The animals included dogs, rabbits, horses and donkeys. According to the DSPCA, they were "locked in cages, hutches pens and sheds" throughout the day and night. Puppy farming and animal welfare continue to be a cause for concern in Ireland. According to the DSPCA, the price of puppies have gone "through the roof" since the pandemic started. Earlier this year, police and DSPCA inspectors seized 13 puppies who were being held in cramp conditions at Dublin Port. They had no access to food or water throughout their journey and four of them tested positive for Parvovirus. Four of the dogs smuggled through the Port died. Following the seizure, the DSPCA outlined the cruelty of the dog-farming industry, and urged potential pet owners not to support it. "These puppies were possibly on their way to good homes but this doesn’t make it right," they said. "The lack of compassion, respect, empathy and duty of care is incredibly disturbing. There was not a second of thought for the welfare of these puppies, just the joy of the profit to be made by their sale. "We all have a part to play in trying to stop this from happening again and again."