Dogs at the centre of welfare court proceedings should be allowed to be rehomed after five days, Senator Lynn Boylan has said.
The Sinn Féin Senator has brought forward legislation that would allow dogs seized on welfare grounds to be rehomed faster.
Currently, dogs surrendered or picked up by dog wardens can be rehomed after five days if they're not claimed.
Dogs seized under animal welfare grounds have to be held until any court proceedings are finished.
Senator Boylan told Breakfast Briefing she wants the timeframes brought in line with each other.
"A dog can be held for up to two years waiting for court proceedings to conclude," she said.
"That dog can't be rehomed, it can't be put up for adoption and that puts a significant cost then on the rescue.
"What you're finding now, because of the other problems of people actually surrendering dogs, those dogs are now having to be put into private kennels.
"The rescue shelters are having to pay to put them in those kennels, so that they can free up space in their own rescue [shelter].
"What my bill would do is align the two, [so] that after five days, the dog that's been seized... that those dogs can be rehomed and court proceedings can take place a month down the road.
"The dog's welfare has to be at the core, and it's not in the interest of the dog to stay in a rescue for two years."
Pug dogs in Cork in September 2016. Image: Wavebreakmedia Ltd UC37 / Alamy Stock PhotoSenator Boylan said Irish society needs to be more dog-inclusive.
"As a nation of dog lovers, the evidence now is showing that people are surrendering dogs in numbers that we have never seen before," she said.
"What's really interesting about the ISPCA report is some of the reasons that they are surrendering them is the fact that landlords won't allow tenants to keep pets.
"I think that's something we should be looking at; but also, there's a lack of dog-friendly spaces in Ireland.
"You can't bring your dog on public transport; a lot of restaurants won't allow dogs.
"When people went back to work, they're finding it very difficult to have dog ownership, so we should be working with people who want keep their dog," she added.
