A dog behaviour specialist says the number of Dog Wardens in Tipperary is not adequate.
The matter was raised at a meeting of the Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture yesterday by Cashel TD Martin Browne who pointed out that there were the equivalent of one and a half dog wardens in what is the largest inland county in Ireland.
Canine behaviour expert Nanci Creedon told the committee that in her view this wasn’t adequate to cover the Premier County.
“It’s unrealistic and its dangerous. It’s dangerous for us to have such a large population of dogs and unfortunately such a large population of dog owners who don’t understand their dogs and dog behaviour. And how to safely care for their dog to ensure their dog doesn’t cause harm to others.
“And then unfortunately the Dog Wardens don’t have any formal training – there’s no decent training programme or rigorous testing that they go through before they’re then appointed.
“It’s too much pressure to put on one and a half people.”
