Sorry, I should have been clear (been feeling rough all week, making no sense at all as a result!). Unless things are done very differently in NI to the way they are here in England it won't be the DW who is selling or ordering the killing of dogs, before their 5 days are up or otherwise. That will be the pound manager - and YES, it does happen, it isn't widespread IME but I personally have known it to happen nonetheless. The DW will merely collect the dog, hopefully scan her and failing finding a chip take her to the allocated council pound.
That's where the problem really begins. A hell of a lot of pounds are run alongside profit making organisations by contractors - for example, someone who owns breeding or boarding kennels may well also run the council's pound. They will get paid by the council to care for for each stray or surrendered dog for the statutory 5 (Ireland and NI) or 7 days only. After that, the pound may choose to kill, rehome or send to rescue as it sees fit. It is here, at the pound, that I have experienced dogs being PTS before their 5 or 7 days were up.
As an aside yet on the subject of pounds, there is a lot of bowing down done to "homes" such as Battersea, Manchester and Birmingham "Dogs Homes". These aren't anything but pounds and they kill dogs the same as any other. Manchester "Dogs Home", for example, killed a dog once staff had gone home one Saturday night and having promised them and me that they would keep him until Monday morning, having had my (and staff's) absolute guarantee I would by then have a rescue place and transport sorted for him. I had that place and transport, was up 4 or 5am working to achieve it, but the pound manager killed my dog. The same manager whose pound claims on its website to be no kill.
"My" dog? Oh yes. You see, they all become "mine" until I have them safely in the care of rescue and I work as hard to look after them as I would my own. I failed with that boy in Manchester though. I still remember his name, still have his photograph, still feel the tears as I remember him.
Dog Wardens are a different matter though as I said, and have less control over the dog's life. Its true that I've been involved in dog rescue for long enough to be an utter cynic but nonetheless truly dedicated ones are very still very rare imo. Then again, my version of truly dedicated and Scuttle or Bella's may be very different. In comparison to them I may well be considered an extremist. If you have Facebook, you'll see that this darling man is a PERFECT Dog Warden
Sadly, most aren't like him. Most ime are hardened cynics who accept the huge number of dogs PTS each week in pounds as part of the job, who don't question but do what most people would consider to be "their best". For me, their best isn't good enough.
But the real problems lay with the pounds - and as Scuttle said, that's about politics and funding. Political change and a different, more humane way of thinking is needed, sure, and that has to start with the education of the public who fund the pounds via their taxes... but what about now? Right now, what about that Retriever?
Whilst we wait for polling day thousands of dogs a year continue to die in those pounds... and yes, some do die (or are sold on, and remember without a homecheck or comeback, so its easy money), before their 5 or 7 days are up.
As an 'extremist' in the opinions of some people, I'd back anyone who was willing to take steps to avoid that... and that includes Booy.