Aontú’s Peter Whelan, who previously ran the dog pound for County Meath, has blasted the lack of out of hours facilities for stray dogs clsiming it is almost impossible to contact those in charge outside of normal business hour
He told Meath Live,  “ I got a call on Saturday afternoon from a person who found a young collie loose on the main N2 near slane. I tried ringing the  phone number on the Meath dog shelter website to get no answer . I tried ringing Meath county council’s environment section only to get no answer there either.
“This is not the first time this has happened. I get  regular calls from Gardai and local vets practices who would know me from the past regarding stray dogs but after 5 pm there appears to be no way of contacting the relevant authorities .
“There are two issues that concern me here. The recent heightened problem regarding sheep kills firstly , and obviously the welfare and safety of the lost or stray dogs,
         “ The minister for agriculture seems to accept there is a problem that needs addressing as he recently came out with a statement saying he was allocating                funds to local authorities to increase the numbers of dog wardens and dog pound facilities to deal with the sheep kill issues .
          “What I am calling for is that Meath county councils Environment department introduce dog warden and dog kennel facilities at weekends and after                     hours .
          “The poor dogs can’t tell the time and do not only stray or get dumped or robbed during 9 to 5 hours or  working days . The problem of stray dogs is more             of an issue now than it ever was . Many people got dogs during the Covid lockdown as they were at home and had plenty of time to look after the dogs.                Now some have realised that they no longer have the time required to look after these poor creatures .
          “It is terribly sad , as I have done, to come across a dog rambling on a main road , dodging large articulated trucks, but even if I catch them there is                        nowhere they can be put safely over the weekend or after five during the week.”