Since the start of this year, Cork Dog Action Welfare Group fosterers have been fined 4 times by Cork County Council for 'not having dog licences'. We have a pack licence but Cork County Council has decided to renege on a previous promise to respect the pack license for fosterers. Amendments to the 1986 Control of Dogs Act state that dog packs must be kept at one premises. Cork County Council had previously agreed with our contention that our dogs are kept on a single property, and are merely housed with our fosterers on a temporary basis – just like in the case of kennelling a pet while on holidays, or having them at a veterinary office post-surgery etc. (where no new licence is required). In the case of the fine issued on 28th of January, a fine was issued for a dog in the foster home for 5 days total while recovering from spaying. Like most animal welfare charities in this country, we operate on a shoe string budget and if we face fines each time we place a dog in foster care our work will be untenable. It is also impossible for us to continue if we need to pay a dog licence for every dog who passes through our care, for even a matter of days. That is over €20,000 per annum we simply do not have, leaving aside the issue of the additional time and admin required to handle this. We are not attempting to evade the law, we have a pack license. The amendments to the 1986 Control of Dogs Act were intended to work in conjunction with the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013 to halt the rampant, widespread abuse of animals in this country. In following the letter of the law, it seems that the spirit has been lost. The Department of Rural and Community Development have assured us that “A working group (Dog Control) is looking into a formal national agreement on facilitating foster type arrangements.” Pending the findings of this working group, we ask that our previous agreement with the DVO be reinstated.