Almost 400 dogs have been surrendered by their owners to Dogs Trust since Christmas.
The pet charity says it’s a 33 per cent increase from the same period last year.
Some of the reasons for dogs being given up include behavioural issues and not having time to care for them.
Six dogs have been seized in county Sligo as part of an investigation targeting the suspected of owning, using and breeding restricted breeds of dangerous dogs.
On Friday, fourteen premises were searched in the Sligo and Ballymote areas.
Gardaí say that during the searches a number of animal health and welfare notices were issued by the ISPCA.
Dogs Trust Communications Manager, Corina Fitzsimons, says many dogs need time to adapt to new environments:
