The tough decision was made following a huge increase in the number of drop-offs at the shelter.

Dog Action Welfare Group, or DAWG, is a charity established in 2007, concerned with the welfare of abandoned, abused and ill-treated dogs in Cork.  The organisation aims to rescue these animals and re-home them, but amid increasing numbers of drop-offs, DAWG has been forced to "close its doors until further notice." Earlier this week, they took to Facebook to announce the heartbreaking news. DAWG said they are "completely overwhelmed and cannot take in any more dogs". They expressed the harrowing reality of having to turn away dogs because they simply cannot cope with the numbers:

"The pressure is relentless and the guilt is overwhelming."

The organisation communicated that they understand there are certain circumstances where people have to re-home their dogs, but said:

"Re-homing a dog because your new partner doesn’t like dogs, a new baby, the children are tired of it, it’s barking out in the garden all day and night are not reasons to decide 'we want to get rid of the dog'".

DAWG stressed that in their nature, the animals are very loyal and watching their owners abandoning them is traumatic for the dog:

 "Their distress and sadness is heartbreaking, their loyalty to their owners who left them is unquestionable as they watch and wait for them to return."

The decision to close for an undetermined period of time has been an immensely difficult one for the organisation to make, as turning dogs away often means no hope for the animal. The charity says that you can help with this situation in three ways; by fostering an animal if you cannot commit to adopting one full time, by creating a forever home for an animal if are ready to commit, or by donating to help them with significant veterinary, food and shelter costs. Fostering an animal was a sentiment former Queen guitarist, Brian May espoused on Instagram lately. Brian recently saved an injured hedgehog, who he is now keeping as a pet.