A local councillor has gained the support of his colleagues on Tipperary County Council to push for tighter control of the Dogs Act legislation in Ireland.
Councillor Michael O’Meara brought forward the Notice of Motion, and the council unanimously agreed that a letter should be written to the Ministers for Agriculture, Housing and Rural & Community Affairs for an immediate review of the Dangerous Dogs Act.
This would aim to ban the ownership of vicious dogs in Ireland.
Cllr. O’Meara says the case in Wexford where nine-year-old Alejandro Mizsan was the victim of a brutal dog attack is a prime example of why this legislation needs to be reformed.
The independent councillor also cited the sheep killing incident in Lorrha as another reason for bringing forward this Notice of Motion.
“I think this could happen more regularly if we don’t bite the bullet now and bring in proper legislation to control these dogs. We had a very serious situation in Lorrha, and indeed, in Moneygall as well. We had a huge sheep kill, about 70 sheep were killed in Lorrha, and the rest of the sheep were very badly worried that some of them would have to be put down as well.
“It’s a huge psychological and mental trauma that this causes the farmers who every day look after these sheep, as well as the financial end of it as well. We should be trying to support these farmers by bringing in this legislation.”
The letter will also highlight the serious need for a proper public indemnity insurance requirement to be enshrined in new legislation for all dog owners.
Cllr. O’Meara says the dogs involved in the sheep killing incident in Lorrha would have done the same to a person.
“The thing I was thinking coming up out of that farm was if there were two or three kids there on the road and an adult along with them, these dogs would’ve done the same to them. A sheepdog would bite you at the ankles, which is bad enough, but these dogs could kill you.
“The council is now going to approve the motion, and they’re going to refer to those three departments and look for guidance from the departments in relation to this. This is a huge problem that has taken place since, I suppose, post-Covid. A lot of people got these dangerous breeds of dogs, and you need to be specialised in how to manage these dogs.”
