Charity to challenge abatement notice

Despite the notice, the charity is keen to stress that work is still ongoing and that they are not closed.

Causeway Coast Dog Rescue Charity was issued with the notice by Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council back in January.

In a statement, they said: “Council agreed to issue the abatement notice on consideration of a report following investigation of complaints received regarding alleged noise nuisance from barking dogs at the premises. Council officers sought to resolve the matter informally with the operator prior to the decision being made.

“The decision to close the rescue centre was one taken by the operators alone and not Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council.”

Speaking to The Times this week, Maggie Dimesdale who founded the charity, stressed that they were still in operation and were certainly ‘not closed’.

“While the charity investigates the abatement notice, we want to stress that we are still in operation. The dog sanctuary at Castleroe may be closed at present but our work still continues.”

The charity work with various bodies and charities, this includes working with the Health Trusts to look after dogs whilst owners are in hospital. Their work also includes sourcing homes for unwanted dogs and education.

“We do a lot of work other than rehoming, “ said Maggie. “We support the PSNI in dog cruelty cases, investigate issues with legislation, we support schools with education and work with charities across Northern Ireland and the UK.”

Maggie went on to thank the public for their continued support and pointed out that the charity’s shop was still open in the Diamond Centre.

“As we continue to develop and grow, our main aim is to eliminate the unnecessary cruelty that dogs often suffer. I want to thank the public for their support, we couldn’t do this without the public.”