Purported screenshot from RTÉ website about government funding for Ukrainian pets is not genuine
Screenshot features an image that is at least 18 years old
CLAIM
An image purportedly from the RTÉ News website shows an image of a dog lounging on a pool float under a headline saying “Government signs off on another €150 million allocation for Ukrainian pet welfare.”
BACKGROUND
On April 17, an account on the social media platform X shared a purported screenshot from the news website of the Irish national broadcaster, RTÉ.
The screenshot looks like an article from the RTÉ News website, and bears a headline about government funding of Ukrainian pet welfare and an image of a dog floating in a pool. The article was purportedly published on April 17, 2024, according to the image.
The headline reads: “Government signs off on another €150 million allocation for Ukrainian pet welfare.” The caption on the photo is: “Rex from Kyiv relaxing after a swim in the national aquatic centre.”
METHOD
A quick reverse image search on the photo of the dog reveals it to be a long-used template for memes, such as this one posted in 2019, and dozens of other examples posted to Facebook, Pinterest, and meme generator websites.
Someone also posted the photo to this website back in 2008.
Such high usage of this image made it difficult to trace the original. The earliest example of it being posted online we could find was this image from 2006, which features a caption about the dog being named Rex.
This debunks the claim that this image shows a dog swimming in Ireland’s national aquatic centre in recent months or years.
As for the information contained in the headline, we researched Ireland’s policy when it comes to support for Ukrainian animals.
In April 2024, Ireland’s deputy leader, Tánaiste Micheál Martin, defended the state’s expenditure of up to €1 million per month to transport and house pets from Ukraine, which he said was a “humanitarian” and “compassionate” response, according to this report in the Irish Times.
The Irish Mirror had earlier reported the story that the government department in charge of refugee integration in Ireland was paying for accommodation for pets whose owners had come to Ireland, as well as for transportation and veterinary work that was required during their move.
According to the newspaper’s reporting, there were more than 1,800 pets staying in state-funded accommodation for refugees in the first months of the war, although the policy of providing accommodation for pets was ended later in 2022, according to the government.
There was no evidence that the Irish government recently announced a package of €150 million for Ukrainian pet welfare. A notice document from the Irish Department of Agriculture outlined the newer policy — in effect since November 2022 — on the costs Ukrainians would have to foot for quarantining their pets, as well as the other requirements for bringing an animal into Ireland.
There was also no evidence that an article outlining the supposed measures was ever published on the RTÉ website. Furthermore, the purported screenshot features a full stop after the headline, which is not in keeping with the usual style on RTÉ News.
From this analysis, we concluded that the purported screenshot was not genuine but did come amid public discourse on real government spending on the pets of refugees in 2022 amid the war in Ukraine.
RATING
The purported screenshot is not genuine and features an image that is at least 18 years old.
SOURCES
X (formerly Twitter). (2024). Available at: Ah here…FFS.. [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].
Facebook.com. (2023). Terence Brady – YOUR PAYING FOR IT ….🇮🇪. [online] [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].
Facebook.com. (2019). Happy Monday..😝 Said no one ever. Doggy… – Doggy Dao & Cat’s Meow. [online] [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].
lelombrik. (2008). Chien cool. [online] [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].
Flickr. (2024). Flickr. [online] [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].
O’Halloran, M. (2024). Pets from Ukraine cost the State up to €1 million a month. [online] The Irish Times. [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].
Darragh Mc Donagh (2024). Government spent €1m a month to accommodate Ukrainian refugee pets. [online] Irish Mirror. [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].
Www.gov.ie. (2022). Pets Policy: Beneficiaries of Temporary Protection from Ukraine. [online] [Accessed 30 Apr. 2024].