Moving care for a city's sick pets

The Blue Cross has been running mobile clinics in Dublin for decades, offering low-cost care for needy pet owners – and now they are more in demand than ever

IT’S 4PM, and at the new Irish Blue Cross clinic in Inchicore, pet owners are arriving to collect the seven animals who were operated on that day. The Inchicore unit is the first permanent clinic in the 64-year history of the Blue Cross, which has been operating mobile clinics around Dublin for decades, and it’s already very busy.

Martha from Ballybrack is here for Trigger, a mongrel pup she took in after he was abandoned outside her brother’s house. “He was in a very bad way,” she says. “So we took him to the Blue Cross [mobile clinic] to get him checked out and they recommended we take him here to be neutered.”

Michelle, a mother of three, is collecting her spaniel. “When I left her here this morning I was really nervous, I don’t know what I was expecting,” she says. “And I have to say, I’d be happy to leave the kids here. It’s gorgeous.”

The Blue Cross offers low-cost veterinary treatment for needy pet owners, and their services are more in demand than ever: last year they treated over 15,000 small animals. This means they need to raise more funds. Although they receive some Government funding, the Blue Cross relies on donations from supporters. These days, however, people may not be so willing – or able – to give, and animals may not seem like a top priority.

“There is always a very loyal group of supporters of animal welfare,” says manager Christina Conneely. “But now it’s that little bit harder to draw new supporters in. People are struggling and may not easily give to a new charity.”

The Blue Cross has adopted some imaginative fund-raising schemes – for €250, the organisation will provide table cards for a wedding, and the next Bark in the Park, a dog-walking event held at parks around Dublin, takes place in Marlay Park on August 30th. But the demand for services is on the rise, and Conneely says they’re seeing more and more people who have lost their jobs. “There’s always a big queue on Wednesday nights before the van even arrives,” says Martha. “And there’s definitely been more people recently.”

Do people try and take advantage of the Blue Cross? It seems not. “People don’t chance their arm,” says Conneely. “We go through everything on the phone. We make it clear that we are here for the very neediest of pet owners, and recommend they contact their local vet, or shop around by ringing a few vets and trying to get the best deal. Failing that, if they are very needy and can show proof that they are genuinely needy, we accommodate them.”

Bernie Doyle, a friendly young woman from Artane, is the clinic’s resident vet (there are also locums and volunteers). She started volunteering with the Blue Cross after graduating five years ago, and has been a full-time employee for four years. “I just wanted to do something worthwhile,” she says. “I worked in a private practice for a year but that wasn’t really for me – and I wanted to do something more welfare orientated. I wanted to give back a little bit, and the Blue Cross was the first place I thought of.”

The Blue Cross sees people with very little make sacrifices for their pets. Aidan Bailey, who works with the Blue Cross’s horse ambulance service, says it’s always been this way. “Fewer people used to have cars and they would go to great lengths to get their pet to us. They still do – they’ll get time off from work or leave early. People really care. I saw a very serious alcoholic who didn’t drink for four days because he wanted to be awake for the clinic in Donneycarney. No one else could stop him drinking, but the dog stopped him drinking.”

“Having pets shouldn’t be a luxury,” says veterinary nurse Edel Finnan. “It should be something everyone can do. I’d like to think pets won’t suffer in the recession.”