The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals or DSPCA is a

registered charity A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, Religion, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definitio ...

, established in Ireland in 1840 to prevent

cruelty to animals Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction by omission (neglect) or by commission by humans of suffering or harm upon non-human animals. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm or suf ...

in the

Dublin Region "Action to match our speech" , image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Dublin.svg , map_alt = map showing County Dublin as a small area of darker green on the east coast within the lighter green background of ...

History

The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals was established in 1840, and is the oldest and largest

animal welfare Animal welfare is the well-being of non-human animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures such as longevit ...

charity in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. Initially the organisation was known as the "Dublin Auxiliary of the Royal Society for the Protection of Animals", and it was founded the year the

RSPCA The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is a charity operating in England and Wales that promotes animal welfare. The RSPCA is funded primarily by voluntary donations. Founded in 1824, it is the oldest and largest a ...

received Royal Patronage. The charity has had a number of names, and was known at different times as the "Dublin Home for Starving and Forsaken Cats" or the "Cats and Dogs Home". Between 1840 and 1990, the DSPCA was based at Grand Canal Quay in Dublin city centre. In 1990, it moved to Stocking Lane in the Dublin suburb of

Rathfarnham Rathfarnham () is a Southside suburb of Dublin, Ireland. It is south of Terenure, east of Templeogue, and is in the postal districts of Dublin 14 and 16. It is within the administrative areas of both Dún Laoghaire–Rathdown County Counc ...

. The land had been bequeathed to the charity in 1936 as a place to graze retired working horses. In 2003, the charity moved to a new premises on Mount Venus Road in Rathfarnham. In 2010, the DSPCA constructed a new pet boarding centre, and in 2011 a new veterinary clinic was opened. The DSPCA continues to care for sick, injured and cruelly treated animals in the city and county of Dublin. It describes itself as the "only animal welfare charity in the city that cares for all animals, domestic and wild".

Organisation and activities

The DSPCA (sometimes known as the Dublin SPCA) is involved in investigating suspected cruelty, providing animal ambulance services, caring for animals at its shelter in

, finding new homes for animals, providing information on animal care, providing veterinary care, giving career guidance for those interested in working with animals, and working on legislative changes to improve protection for animals. The Dublin Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA, Irish charity number 1047) is operated and funded separately from the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA, Irish charity number 5619).

Shelter

The Dublin SPCA shelter is on Mount Venus Road,

. Opened in 2003, the facility offers shelter and care to a wide variety of pets and domesticated animals. The centre is also used to house a number of injured and young wildlife awaiting release including

swan Swans are birds of the family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form the tribe Cygnini. Sometim ...

fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelv ...

es,

badger Badgers are short-legged omnivores in the family Mustelidae (which also includes the otters, wolverines, martens, minks, polecats, weasels, and ferrets). Badgers are a polyphyletic rather than a natural taxonomic grouping, being united ...

s and small birds.

Mobile clinic and ambulances

The Dublin SPCA operates four mobile clinics which offer subsidised veterinary treatment for

pet A pet, or companion animal, is an animal kept primarily for a person's company or entertainment rather than as a working animal, livestock, or a laboratory animal. Popular pets are often considered to have attractive appearances, intelligence ...

s whose owners are in receipt of welfare benefit. The charity also operates four ambulances which cover the Dublin area, responding to emergency calls from the public. Ambulance crews collect sick and injured animals, deal with road traffic accidents, trapped or sick animals, and animals that need to be removed from a situation of cruelty.

Inspectorate

DSPCA's inspectors investigate complaints of cruelty and

neglect In the context of caregiving, neglect is a form of abuse where the perpetrator, who is responsible for caring for someone who is unable to care for themselves, fails to do so. It can be a result of carelessness, indifference, or unwillingness and ...

, provide guidance to animal owners where necessary, and initiates prosecution for offences.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dublin Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Animals Animal charities Animal welfare organisations based in the Republic of Ireland Organisations based in Dublin (city) Charities based in Ireland