A dog charity in Galway says it is completely inundated with requests to surrender animals and cannot keep up.
Madra has stopped taking calls from outside Galway and Mayo as a result of the massive backlog.
It is blaming the cost of living crisis, shortage of appropriate accommodation and sudden reopening post Covid for the problem.
Founder Marina Fiddler said dogs with behavioural issues are coming into them on a regular basis because of those issues.
Ms Fiddler told Newstalk: "Everybody is struggling in the country, the consequences of Covid are showing themselves now and there's more to come.
"But whatever is happening to people is also happening to animals. Loads of people are financially distressed, suffering from anxiety or ill health. That all transfers to pet dogs as well, and we're seeing the results of that now."
Sadly, we have experienced a surge in the number of people looking to surrender their dogs directly into our care. We almost always have a long waiting list and lately that list has gotten even longer.😭
Thread 1/8 pic.twitter.com/ONP5HlBbTo— MADRA (@MADRADogRescue) August 7, 2022
She said reopening will come as a shock to dogs that have become used to isolation and shielding.
"Their life has been very strange for the last 18 months or two years. Now we're all back out meeting and greeting people, that can be very nerve racking for a dog.
"You need to try and see it from the dog's point of view, but if you are having issues try to understand what's going on rather than just blaming the dog. It's not the dog's fault, the dog is responding to what's happening in its life."
