More dogs are destroyed in NI than anywhere else in Britain

The report, by the Dogs Trust, says that the province has the highest number of stray dogs per head of the population.

More than 11,000 dogs were found last year - up by 3% on the previous year, according to the study.

More than 3,000 of them had to be destroyed because a home could not be found for them.

Last year, the Dogs Trust said that the chances of survival for a stray dog in Northern Ireland were "really bleak".

Chris Lawrence, veterinary director of Dogs Trust, said it did appear that Northern Ireland had many irresponsible dog owners.

"Northern Ireland has always been the worst area of the UK for the number of dogs that stray and the number that are put down because there is nowhere for them to go," he said.

"That's inspite of a lot of effort put in to education - educating primary school children about responsible ownership; a lot of effort put into subsidised neutering for people who can't afford to have their dogs neutered.

"The numbers are coming down, but they're a long way behind the rest of the UK."

Mr Lawrence said he believed encouraging owners to neuter dogs was particularly important and people on means-tested benefits can have their dogs neutered for �10 - a fraction of the normal cost - through Dogs Trust.