Local animal charity PAWS Rescue faces funding crisis

The owner of a local animal rescue has warned that the charity is facing debts in the tens of thousands of euros and she can see "no light at the end of the tunnel" with increasing numbers of dogs being surrendered.

PAWS Pet rescue in Mullinahone faces a debt of €60,000 which recently forced owner Gina Hetherington to appeal to the public for any help that they can manage. 

She said: “We have been doing this for 25 years and we can't do it anymore. We have €8000 in the bank and we owe €60,000. There is no light at the end of this tunnel. We are one of 12 animal welfare groups that received no increase in the Department of Agriculture grants last December. We don't know why?

Ms Hetherington continued: “Heatwaves, storms, lockdowns, our team have worked through them all. But, not anymore. If we do not get help, we are done. Two euros from everyone would make a huge difference.”

The animal rescue based in Mullinahone since 2006 now has 97 dogs in its care, and owes €50,000 to its local vet. It spends €10,000 monthly on veterinary care but is the only large dog rescue in the country that did not receive an increase in funding from the Department of Agriculture last December.

Annually, PAWS' running costs stand at €480,000 while the Department of Agriculture funding is €48,000 leaving the charity to fundraise more than €430,000 from the public. As fundraising was hard in 2020 and 2021, the 25 year old animal rescue now faces a highly uncertain future. They are rapidly running out of options to remain open.

All of PAWS's overheads have risen this year too: their ESB bill is €1000 per month and while their staff voluntarily work for minimum wage, taxes such as USC, PAYE and PRSI push their wage bill up to €3000 per week.

The emotional appeal has to date raised €25,000 to keep the rescue open but they still need another €35,000 to clear outstanding debts. While Gina is grateful for these donations what she really needs is a long-term strategy.

Along with rising overheads, PAWS is also seeing a rise in the number of dogs being brought to them because of inflation, the no-dogs landlords policy in rented accommodation and people losing their homes due to re-possession.

Gina would hate to shut PAWS as her staff have a “passion for animals that is unbelievable” and to make them redundant would be “soul destroying”.

And then there are the dogs. As the PAWS website declares: “There is no going back now, for if we stop tomorrow.. What will happen to those unheard voices ?”

PAWS has also forged bonds with the community in Tipperary and Kilkenny. Camphill send service users to walk rescue dogs weekly and they get immense benefits from the interaction. Cartoon Saloon have also supported PAWS for over 10 years via their dog walking group which exercises the dogs each Saturday.

But for Gina, fundraising is a constant worry as PAWS is totally reliant on public generosity. They simply have “no other choice”. Unlike larger animal welfare groups they don't have a dedicated fundraiser. It is up to Gina to get the public to donate constantly.

Gina also feels that “ Government should be doing more for welfare groups.” In the 2020 Programme for Government they promised to double animal welfare grants – for PAWS this rise has not materialised and they now are in crisis.

To support PAWS and their ongoing work, donations can be made via their GoFundMe page.