CHARITY Dog-rescue charity invites dog owner for walkies

PAWSITIVE ENERGY?Sharon Shannon and her rescue dog Foxy launch the upcoming MADRA Dogathon fundraising dog walk, which takes place on Sunday, May 18, on the Salthill promenade.

Dog-rescue charity invites dog owner for walkies


World-famous musician Sharon Shannon is calling on dog owners to sign up to take part in the MADRA Dogathon event which will take place on Sunday, May 18, from the Claddagh Hall in Galway at 1pm.
The Dogathon event is a well-known meeting of mutts previously organised by Cope Galway. This year, the lead has been handed over to Connemara-based dog rescue organisation MADRA (Mutts Anonymous Dog Rescue and Adoption ), to help raise some much-needed funds for the dogs in its care. MADRA rehomes unwanted and abandoned dogs from Mayo and Galway. Its dogs come from the county’s pounds, from members of the public and via volunteers, who frequently receive calls about distressed and mistreated animals. In 2013, MADRA rescued 834 dogs.
The charity is hoping to exceed their fundraising target of ‘One thousand paws on the prom’, and it is urging the people of Mayo and Galway to go online to register for this promenade walk, which starts and finishes at the Claddagh Hall in Galway City.
Speaking about the event, MADRA Chairperson Edel Comerford said: “This sponsored dog walk will not only help us to raise some much-needed funds for the dogs in our care, it will also act as an opportunity to help us celebrate responsible dog ownership.
“We also hope to welcome back some of our old MADRA residents. It is so heart-warming for us to see our former kennel residents out-and-about with their new families … We are always amazed by the support that we receive.”
To register for the event log on to www.iregister.ie/dogathon. Registration is €10 per adult, €5 per child or €25 for a family (two adults and two children). All dogs go free but pooches are encouraged to raise sponsorship for dogs in need either online via www.idonate.ie or by requesting a sponsorship card from MADRA at madradogrescue@gmail.com. The dog that raises the most sponsorship will be made the ‘Grand Canine Marshall’ of the Dogathon and will appear in the MADRA 2015 calendar.

For more information about MADRA, its work in Mayo and Galway and its dogs, visit www.madra.ie.