Carrickfergus Borough Council - Dog Pound

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Dog Pound

Welcome to Carrickfergus Borough Council's section for dog owners.  Here you will find information about the dog pound, caring for your dog and responsible dog ownership.

The Dog Pound
Carrickfergus Borough Council employs one Dog Warden who operates Monday - Friday 9.00am to 5.00pm.  Please note - we do not have an out of hours service.

Anyone wishing to adopt a dog from the Dog Pound should visit us at
Sullatober, Marshallstown Road, Carrickfergus (second turning on right past the Civic Amenity Site).

Click Here for a map to the Dog Pound.

The times open to the public are -

11am to 12.30 pm and 2pm to 4pm (Monday to Friday)

11 am to 12 noon (Saturday)

Closed Sunday.

Reclaiming your Dog

If your dog strays and is brought to the Dog Pound there will be a Reclaiming Fee of £20 (first day) and £5 per day thereafter. This is payable before your dog is returned to you.

Unwanted Dogs

If you can no longer keep your dog and wish to surrender it to the Dog Pound please contact the Dog Warden. Please note fthere is a collection fee of £20 for the Dog Warden to collect your dog. You can bring your dog to the Dog Pound during normal opening hours free of charge.

Homing a Dog

To adopt a dog from the Pound costs £30, plus the fee for a dog licence.

All dogs homed from our Dog Pound are micro-chipped free of charge by trained staff before leaving the Pound.

Also, when you home a dog from our Pound you will receive a voucher redeemable at vets towards the cost of having you new pet neutered, you will only have to pay the first £15 of the vet's costs for neutering.

We take every precaution to ensure that all dogs leaving the Pound are in a healthy condition, however, we strongly recommend you take your dog to a local Veterinary Surgeon for a health check and vaccinations as soon as possible.

We hope you find this section useful. If you require any more information on the topics covered here, please contact the Dog Pound.

A dog is for life!

Before you buy or adopt a new dog please be confident that you have the time, money and energy to look after it. Also make sure you have selected a dog that will fit in with your lifestyle.

Here are some factors you should consider:

Time:

• You will be responsible for your dog for the next 10-15 years.
• Puppies require more time than adult dogs. You will have to house it, provide obedience training and play time. Adopted dogs may require more training and lots of patience.
• In their first year, dogs need 3 - 4 twenty minute play sessions a day.
• Adult dogs require lots of exercise - about 30 minutes per day. Large breeds, terriers, herding and sporting dogs require 2 - 4 times as much exercise.
• All dogs require grooming. Long haired dogs will require grooming once a day. Short and medium haired dogs need to be groomed at least once a week.

Costs:

• Buying a dog - pedigree dogs can cost anything from £200 - £1000. Mixed breed dog costs vary. Most animal sanctuaries also charge adopters for a dog.
• Health care - all puppies need to be vaccinated at eight and twelve weeks. They will also need annual booster vaccinations.
• Your dog will also have to be wormed regularly. Dogs have accidents and illnesses as they get older - get your dog a veterinary pet insurance plan to help with these costs.
• Neutering - dogs not kept for breeding should be neutered.
• Food - some pedigree dogs may require special food due to food allergies. Food costs increase as your dog gets bigger. A large dog may require 6 times as much food as a small dog. Older dogs will require special diets and medications.
• Grooming - there may also be grooming fees - coat cutting, toenail clipping and ear cleaning for long-eared dogs.
• Holidays – you may incur pet sitting/boarding fee costs.
• Equipment - you will need a dog crate, bowls, collar and lead, toys, grooming equipment. You may also need a dog bed or dog run.

Lifestyle:

• Dogs are pack animals and generally like the company of humans and other dogs. Do not leave your dog for long periods of time. They need to play and exercise.
• Do not get a large or working dog if there are no open spaces to exercise it near your home.
• If you have a demanding job you may be too tired to exercise a dog twice a day.
• You will need lots of patience with a new puppy or an adopted dog for house and obedience training. Find out if any of your family are allergic to dog hair before getting a dog.
• If you are fussy about your home and do not have time to clean away dog hair, do not get a long haired breed.

Selecting a dog:

• When viewing a potential new dog, don't make an instant decision. Think about how the dog will fit in with your family, your life style and other pets.
• Get to know the general breed traits of dogs before you make a selection.
• Do not buy a dog as a surprise for someone else as they may not like your choice.
• If you are adopting a dog find out about its background. If you are selecting a new puppy find out about the parents' temperaments.
• Before you bring a new dog/puppy home, make sure you have all the required food and equipment.
• Put expensive items in safe places so the dog cannot break them in play.
• Identify household poisons and lock them away.

Every animal has five basic rights which must be upheld by its owner. These are:

• Freedom of movement - dogs should not be curtailed for prolonged periods of time in a kennel, outhouse or chained up at the bottom of the garden.
• Food & water - dogs should have constant access to clean, fresh water and should be fed at least twice per day. Puppies should be fed three to four times per day until they are six months old.
• Shelter - dogs should have a clean, draught free building or kennel which protects them from the elements. Kennels should be cleaned out every other day to ensure the dog's continued good health.
• Exercise - depending on breed, dogs should receive anywhere between 30 minutes to one hour of exercise every day.
• Psychological freedom - like humans, dogs become stressed if unable to express their frustration. A stressed dog behaves in a way that will attract human attention. Barking, biting and chewing furniture, chasing, digging, and forgetting its house training are all behavioural signs that the dog is not at ease with ts environment.

Other considerations include:

• Grooming - some dogs require regular grooming and should be brought to a professional groomer if they have long, difficult coats. In summer, be on the lookout for fleas and ticks on your dog's scalp.
• Insurance – taking out insurance means that should your dog damage property or injure someone, the insurance company may be liable for costs. Insurance also covers the prohibitive costs of some veterinary treatment. Always check your policy beforehand.
• Neutering - prevents the misery of unwanted litters and promotes the health and well being of your pet.
• Vaccinations – disease prevention by vaccination must be started in puppyhood and maintained by annual booster doses throughout the animal's life.
• Older dogs that are re-homed from a shelter are normally vaccinated and the new owner will receive a certificate of vaccination.
• Cars are death traps for dogs - never leave your dog in a car in warm weather. A dog is incapable of dealing with high temperatures inside a car, and will quickly suffer from heatstroke and eventual heart failure.