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THE CORK DOG Action Welfare Group (CDAWG) is caring for a dog that was left to die in the woods last week.
The dog, who the welfare group called Fionn, was found by someone out walking in the woods.
He was lying in a spot where people dump rubbish and the vet who examined him said he had suffered a severe blow to the head. There were fears that Fionn might not be able to walk or that he may die, but after receiving great care at the shelter, he is said to be on the mend.
Fionn being examined by the vet.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, Margaret Twohig of CDAWG said it is believed that Fionn was in the ownership of a hunting club. She said that ownership of Fionn has been transferred to the the Dog Action Welfare Group.
She added that the person who owned Fionn has been identified and she has been told by the club the owner of Fionn has been expelled from the club.
Animal Rights
“The keeper of Fionn also had other hounds in his care and we have been told that these dogs have been removed from the premises,” she said.
“We wanted a commitment from the group that his dogs would be removed,” she said.
When Fionn was found she said he was barely alive and was cold to the touch. “He was covered in cuts and pressure sores, a mere skeleton, unable to move. It looked like he had been put there, in amongst the rubbish and left to die. The rain pouring down on his poor body,” she said.
The group called him Fionn after the legendary Celtic hero Fionn Mac Cumhail. They said it was the perfect name for him, as he was a great Irish warrior who fought and won many battles and had a special love for hounds.
The place where Fionn was found.
X-rays revealed that he has a fractured skull due to a blunt force trauma to the head and they feared that he would not survive. However, in what Twohig describes as a “Christmas miracle” he was standing and walking yesterday.
“The latest update from the vet is that Fionn is on the mend,” said Twohig. The vet said that looking at Fionn when he came in he did not think he was going to make it. “With a fractured skull, there was a possibility of brain damage or that he could have been paralysed, but it is great that he is up walking today,” she said.
Since the group posted Fionn’s story on Facebook, Twohig said they have been inundated with messages and support for Fionn from all over the world.
“We have received messages from the UK, Germany and South Africa, all wishing him well and asking for updates. An animal welfare group in Sweden is even holding a fundraiser for him,” she said, adding that she has never seen such a great public reaction to one story. “He really has touched people’s hearts,” she said.
She said that many people have offered Fionn a home but that they had to wait and see how he gets on over the Christmas.
While she said that Fionn’s story had obviously resonated with people, she said that they receive many calls about abandoned hounds.
She said that animal welfare rights “don’t mean much in this country” adding that there are people in power that can strengthen the laws.
Worst time for animal cruelty
She also said that while she has never had such an overwhelming reaction to Fionn’s story, that this is one of the worst times she has witnessed in animal cruelty, stating that while there are a lot of kind people out there, some people seem to have become “indifferent” to animals.
She urged people, especially at this time of year, to think about what it means to care for an animal, adding that puppies are not just for Christmas, they deserve to be loved, just like Fionn did, she said.
Cork Dog Action Welfare Group is a voluntary group and relies on donations. To find out more about the group please click here.
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Throw him into a cell and leave him there until after Christmas.
Give the culprit free legal aid , 3 meals a day in prison , free access to education , 1/3 off for remission that he doesn’t have to earn. Get the eejits that work to pay for it , & take a few euro off the pensioners & disabled to fund it .., god bless Fine Gael .. Soft on crime but tough on the law abiding citizen .
How can this be ok to do. A 70 year kid man attacked by 2 sc€mbags. They’ll both be laughing about this over Christmas while that man will never be ok to pick up people again. So on top of the assault and theft this poor guys livelihood is probably finished. These thugs will get free legal aid a slap on the wrist and set free to do it all again.
This country is gone to the dogs. They should make a public spectacle if people like this. They speak of human rights but what about that taxi drivers rights. Aghhhhhhh
Sickening
As a Taxi Driver in Tralee and some that represents all taxi drivers on the Taxi Advisory Committee I wish to condemn this attack on an innocent taxi driver out trying to make a living.
This taxi driver is no out of work for the Christmas and New Year.
I’m calling on the public to please respect Taxi Drivers during this busy period and if you do happen to see a driver in difficulty stop and help him/her.
Taxis in other countries are all fitted with Web cameras front and back of vehicle. It probably would have prevented this and at worst would have identified the coward who ran away.
Fit web cameras in all taxis, it will protect your drivers. This could have been spotted at Base but more than likely would not have happened because of fitted cameras.
Have them sweep the streets with a tooth brush
Castrate them..sure it does the dogs on the street good. Calms them down ten fold.
Typical cork behavior. Sean been buggered
Another man fascinated by Cork.
I should explain my comment lads. It was directed at Sean T Bugger, a cork native, who has a snide comment to make everytime anything happens on Dublin’s northside. No offense meant to anyone else.
Get a room then.
fantasti;c information with your journal my e mail address is danielgreydog@YAHOO.CO.UK LEFT GLANMIRE WHEN I WAS 20YROLD BUT STILL KEEP IN TOUCH WIT WHAT IS GOING ON IN CORK AM 78 NOW HAPPYY DAYS SPENT IN GLANMIRE
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