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AN ANIMAL RIGHTS campaign group is to hold a protest march in Dublin city centre later today as part of its push for tougher laws in the revised Animal Health and Welfare Bill.
Animal Rights Action Network (ARAN) is calling on the government to introduce tougher jail sentences and heavy fines for people prosecuted for abusing animals and wants psychiatric intervention in cases of extreme animal cruelty.
It also wants tougher sentences for people who are caught keeping animals in unsuitable conditions.
Ahead of the event, ARAN’s director John Carmody said that “as a nation we should be hanging out heads in shame that we’ve turned our banks and a blind eye to the immense amount of animal abuse taking place in Irish society today”.
“Irish politicians are certainly to blame for much of what is happening to animals simply because they have ignored the plight of their suffering for so long and stuck us with a law that dates back to 1911,” he added.
“It is time politicians recognised that there are voters out there who care about animals and that their lack of support for animal welfare will not be ignored the next time these politicians come knocking on our doors.”
ARAN says it also wants to see the government ensure that fur farms are banned in Ireland this year.
The ARAN demonstration begins at the O’Connell Street entrance to the Garden of Remembrance at 2pm today.
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Why don’t they visit the Boland puppy farm in Offaly ? Hundreds of breeding bitches in cages ?? All exported to the UK & Europe ?? It’s not a secret….google “John Boland puppy farm”
Disgusting & needs to be stopped.
There are puppy farms everywhere. Go on done deal and look at a few of the photos. You don’t need to be a genius to figure out which are puppy farms.
I agree……however this Offaly farm is probably the biggest puppy farm in Europe !! Isn’t that really something for the Irish to be proud off. When the previous government tried to bring in legislation Brian Cowen made representation on behalf of the puppy farm owner to the Greens.
Excellent work, ARAN.
Animals don’t have a voice and cannot stand up against the shocking and depraved cruelty of mankind. It’s up to those of us who have a voice to intervene on their behalf.
It’s not just puppy farms, it’s the Family next door or down the road, who leaves the dog out the back or goes away thinking it’s ok to leave the dog crying all the time, app only physical neglect can be reported but mental neglect has not been wrote into the constitution , how crazy is that, animals as far as i am concerned are helpless just like Children and the love they give should be rewarded with a good loving home not one of neglect, and i pray the law changes to force what should be normal…..
The fact that you pray says enough about you
Shaun-you are an idiot.
Demonstrate outside these puppy farms. Would that be a better idea?
Firstly,This country has failed to look after it’s Nation’s children, never mind it’s animals. Secondlly, I agree with previous commentator. Puppy Farms should be picketed, it’s Owners named and shamed in their local communities. Let’s show them up for the evil, greedy, despicable people that they are.
Shaun clearly you don’t give a crap about animal right’s so i shall ignore your silly comment.
I believe there should be psychiatric intervention to find what makes hare coursing fans tick. I have seen them, whoop for joy and applaud as hares were terorised and savagely mauled by dogs. The exemption for hare coursing in the Aniimal Welfare Bill makes a mockery of what the Bill seeks to achieve. Feral cats need protection too, as at present these animals are being targeted by trigger-happy so-called “sportsmen”.
I’m a puppy walker with The Irish Guide Dogs for The Blind and see how clever, intelligent and loving these beautiful animals are. To see how some people treat animals makes me sick to my stomach. Only word for them is COWARDS!!
People who illtreat animals are less than animals.lots of animals are loving seldom abuse trust and as far as pets go will protect family members ,these are things that members of the so called human race might like to learn.
Unfortunately, many members of the present government eg Hogan, McEntee, Coveney – condone animal cruelty while the Labour Party – as they showed in the last Dáil – promised to improve animal welfare, then voted against it.
Idiots….big difference between eating meat and beating a dog to death!!!
Not enough people have the guts to go on the street and try to make this country a better place by protesting.Too many people do not care.
There’s a second march on today Caroline, out in Birr… maybe the Journal will cover it?
So… why not protest in Birr at the game fair today then? Or would it just be a bit too revealing about the *actual* support levels for ARAN/ICABS/etc to have thousands of people on one side who actually do the work of conservation on the ground; and a dozen or so people on the other side waving placards and doing other things that have led in the past to court convictions?
Please support today’s march against animal cruelty….
there is a difference. with the dog, you are doing it; with the meat, you pay so that some one else less fortunate than you does something pretty much equivalent.
but whatever rationalization you want to justify big macs and protest signs. if you believe in something, then change your actions to minimize harm – i fail to see whats so idiotic in that.
I do not treat animals badly. I just eat them.
hah yeah exactly. i dont eat them, but give me a break with this crap. next minute they’ll want licences for cats
To Mark Denehey…No need to name any one hunter or courser as it it the what they do that counts, and this is what we object to:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufbvbSbFLok
and
oh and i have nothing against hunting or sourcing your meat ethically. even veggies can be very unethical ie gm crops/exploited labour etc.
bleedin stupid. a good 9/10 people eat meat. its a dumb issue.
What has eating meat got to do with it ? What a silly comment. I eat meat but I do my best to get free range and don’t need to eat lots. Every animal deserves a relevantly good life, just like us. Anybody who is cruel to animals is a coward. The most important thing is anybody breeding dogs or any animals do so in a responsible and somewhat compassionate manner.
and theres another more significant difference here:
its a lot easier to protest for an hour or post online about animal cruelty than to give up meat and do something that actually involves effort (at least at first). its also a more proportional response. asking for yet more people to be put in the criminal justice system because they are cruel morons is unfortunately not a realistic or ethical response.
Mark I dont want to give up eating meat. In my view we should eat different types of meat. The reason for this in my view is because we are too dependent on specific species which we are going to kill off completely or like cattle can be enviromentally damaging. However if as Im taking it for granted you dont eat meat & you would suggest we grow our food in the ground this too is totally unsustainable & would infact destroy the environment. If you think that the likes of China the US or any large populated region can depend on crops alone you are as niave as a creationist. So I say all animals should be on the menu including domestic animals.
cool. im not arguing on any basis other than the ethical one that the story and most comments are based around. its indeed very naive to think that you can hold the high ground on any issue of ethics, the best you can do is pick the least worst option in your considered view. i just have a distaste for knee jerk opinion and ill admit im a bit of a contrarian
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