Derry: Council to take action over 'crumbling' kennels

The council says the heating has now been turned on in the area where the dogs are kept

A council criticised for the condition of its dog kennels has said it will take immediate action to ensure they are up to standard.

Derry City and Strabane District council (DCSDC) chief executive John Kelpie said any identified "deficiencies will be addressed".

It comes after the council rejected claims that the kennels are not fit for purpose.

It said it is committed to providing "a suitable environment".

Responsibility for stray dogs is now back with the council after the animal charity Pet FBI's three-year lease of the kennels ended prematurely.

Pet FBI has claimed the kennels are not fit for purpose.

On Wednesday, Mr Kelpie told councillors: "There is complete assurance that any steps or actions that are required to be taken by council to ensure that the premises and the care is to the highest standard will be put in place."

He said a full report will come before council after Christmas.

"It is important to provide that overall assurance immediately and to state that if there are any deficiencies, those deficiencies will be addressed with immediate effect," Mr Kelpie added.

Pet FBI said it has raised concerns with the council about the building's condition on a number of occasions

Speaking to BBC Radio Foyle's North West Today programme on Wednesday morning, the council's principal environmental health officer, Enda Cummins, said the Pennyburn kennels meets legislative requirements.

"This is only a temporary holding facility for dogs that are out straying," he said.

Some maintenance work is planned, he added, as is a further assessment of the building.

The kennels, he continued, had "functioned very well for 25 years".

"At the moment, we are trying to carry out some essential repairs, repairs that had already been agreed, but we are going to carry out a more detailed assessment," he added.

Pet FBI took on a three-year lease of the kennels, which was due to run out in 2024. The charity has since been wound up.

Its concerns were first reported by Belfast Live earlier this month.

It said the kennels were crumbling, cold and damp. There was no heating and the dogs were exposed to the elements, the charity said.

'Water running down the walls'

Vivien Kelly joined Pet FBI two years ago and became the centre manager of the kennels last year.

She told BBC Radio Foyle that during her tenure, concerns about the building were raised repeatedly. Council staff, she said, visited the premises on three occasions following those concerns.

"The response every time was: 'There is no money within the budget for the kennels.'"

The charity, she added, flagged that "water was running down the walls", that in winter the dogs' bowls were freezing over, walls were crumbling and that the only area where the heating worked was in the kennels' office.

"But in the dog kennels, where it was needed the most, it wasn't working there. We reported that to council, they didn't come and carry out the essential repairs."

The council says an assessment of the building will be carried out

On one occasion the charity offered to cover the individual kennels with Perspex to "keep the wind and the bad weather from coming in", she said.

"We were told no, because the kennels had to be 75% air circulated."

However, Mr Cummins said the council is now heating the kennels.

That, he said, will "be for the betterment of the dogs" and will "also allow some drying out of the facility".

The council said it was notified the charity was ending its lease in late November, citing "managerial and manpower" issues.

"The council is extremely disappointed that the charity has decided not to continue with the lease and would like to thank Pet FBI for their support and excellent service," the council said.

The termination of the lease, which saw the charity pay the council rent of £5,000 annually, left seven dogs at the kennels - four of which have now been rehomed with the other three set to be rehomed later this month by the Dogs Trust.

Call for full investigation

DUP assembly member Gary Middleton said the issues raised about the kennels was a "concerning situation".

"It is important that a full investigation takes place to address these concerns," Mr Middleton said.