AN ANIMAL sanctuary in Tulla says that their expenses were “hanging over you like a black cloud”.
Founder of the 12-year-old Clare Greyhound Sanctuary, Petra Meyer, told The Clare Echo that they were down to just over one thousand euros in their PayPal account before setting up a GoFundMe page to raise funds. “We’re just a small rescue that takes in and rehomes greyhounds that have retired from racing or were not fit for racing.”
A GoFundMe has recently been set up to aid the sanctuary cover their expenses and vet bills. She said that they receive donations monthly and through their online shop. However, prior to setting up their GoFundMe, they only had “a little bit over €1,000 left in the bank account and a few hundred in the PayPal account”.
She admitted, “There is money coming in every month, but I mean, it’s not enough to actually cover the monthly costs… I think we take in monthly €700 or €800, or something like that. For the last few years, all the prices have gone up. Our donations didn’t rise together with the inflation… The food bill alone is around €130 a week”.
The Irish Retired Greyhound Trust assist the rescue with neutering, vaccinations, and preparing the dogs for travel. However, other expenses, such as dog food, veterinary bills, and electricity bills, need to be covered to run the sanctuary, and neither Meyer nor her one other volunteer receives a salary.
For those who are unable to donate money, Meyer recommends buying from their shop, donating bags of dog food, or sharing and supporting the rescue. She said, “Help dogs be adopted.”
Over €5,000 has been raised to date. Meyer explained that she received the update this morning and responded, “I’m flabbergasted”. She said, “I thought we were asking for so much and I thought we were never going to reach it, but at least we might get something that will help and will make do, because that’s what we usually do. We make do”.
With this money, the Clare Greyhound Sanctuary can pay the vet bills, repair their van, and put the rest away for future use. Meyer said, “Our current vet bill is €2,700, which doesn’t sound like an awful lot, but it’s an awful lot for us”.
The sanctuary currently has 22 greyhounds, five of them being Meyer’s, and she estimates that the percentage of dogs being rehomed abroad compared to in Ireland is 70:30.
You can donate to the Clare Greyhound Sanctuary on gofundme.com by using the link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-support-needed-for-clare-greyhound-sanctuary
