Kerry animal shelter seeking new home for 'abandoned' baby goat
Listowel And In The Rescue Sera Rescued Husky Animal By Millie Kid,
An animal shelter in Kerry is on the hunt for a new home for a baby goat that was left abandoned outside a house in Listowel earlier this week.
The kid was discovered alongside another goat who was found dead, under a thin layer of soil.
Sera Husky and Animal Rescue founder Maurice Enright was notified of the animals on Monday evening and he took them into his shelter in Lisselton.
The condition of the surviving goat, now known as Millie, has already vastly improved since entering the shelter, where she has been put on a better diet to replenish her health.
“As the days go by, she's becoming way more friendly. The next job now is to find her a home,” he said.
Mr Enright is already well used to dealing with goats, with three already under his care in the volunteer-run animal shelter, adding: “They’re getting very difficult to rehome”.
Goats are suited to a farm environment, particularly one that has a goat already to suit the animal's herd nature.
“They do look for company, goats aren’t solitary creatures by nature,” he said.
The dairy goat, which is expected to become “quite big” in size, will be monitored by the shelter for another three to four weeks, at which point she will be ready to transition to her new home.
“We have a few other bits to do to it like worming and all of that kind of stuff. We want to make sure that it's good and strong and that it's eating,” he said.
Mr Enright, who also takes in other animals such as dogs, says shelters have seen an influx of animals being taken in. He said this had been "very difficult" when coupled with rising utility bills and dwindling volunteers.
“We’re at our wit's end to be honest with you,” he said.
When it comes to people bringing dogs to the shelter, he said there was a "lack of research" carried out by people who who do not understand the logistics when it comes to owning a pet.
The shelter has seen a number of surrendered animals because of the failing rental market, with fewer landlords now allowing pets.
Mr Enright described the issues facing animal shelters as “the perfect storm”, with the number of animals in need of new homes on the rise.
The shelter, which relies mainly on charitable donations, has seen a 30% increase in running costs over the last 16 months due to a spike in electricity bills.
With a total capacity of 80 animals, Mr Enright said the location had nearly reached its limit, with over 70 animals within its care, ahead of a busy kitten season.
“When that happens, you could have anything from 90 up to 100 [animals],” he said.
Mr Enright said many people were no longer interested in adopting bigger breeds of dogs.
Mr Enright described the purchase of a dog in Ireland as a “trend” that many hop on to. He said people should consider the “character” of the dog, as opposed to the breed alone.
It is common for the bigger dogs to remain within the shelter for between six to 12 months before finding a new home. One dog was left in the shelter for five years, making it their longest resident.
“He was a great dog. He just wasn't probably the most handsome of dogs but eventually somebody came in,” he said.
Mr Enright feels there should be legislation in Ireland to bring the legal age for adopting a dog up to 21.
“We don't know too many people that are capable of looking after themselves at the age of 21,” he said.