"We need to ramp-up services around dog control and overall animal welfare across our local area." That's according to Sinn Fein's Sean Conlon who has called for more to be done when it comes to protecting dogs and ensuring that they have the "best life possible" within their home and farm environments.
Cllr Conlon outlined the "great work" carried out by staff at the Carrickmacross Dog Shelter, but highlighted the "heightened demand" facing the local service since the Covid pandemic.
As a result, Cllr Conlon has called on Monaghan County Council to query the figures from the Department of Community Development and Department of Agriculture regarding proposed funding for structural improvements of local dog shelters.
Cllr Conlon believes that an assessment should also be carried out at the local shelter for the purpose of preparing an application for financial support to enable upgrade and expansion work.
"In recognising the number of dogs going through the local shelter and perhaps there hasn't been infrastructural supports provided in that regard over the years, there is now a funding stream created by the department and I've appealed to our local authority that it engages with the shelter with a view to doing an assessment on the facilities there and to make available any additional improvements needed," explained Cllr Conlon.
