Ba mhaith liom buíochas a ghabháil leis an Cheann Comhairle as cead a thabhairt dom an t-ábhar seo a árdú anocht. From time to time I am horrified to hear from constituents and dog wardens about the inadequacies of the Control of Dogs Act, 1986. For example, section 19 of the Act states that the Minister may make regulations for premises holding more than five dogs over four months old. Dog wardens constantly point out that the regulations covering the holding of ten or more dogs are inadequate given that it only takes one mistreated or violent dog to severely maim or kill a person.
I refer to a letter I recently received from a female constituent. Her husband, whose right arm was amputated, was attacked by two bull mastiffs belonging to a neighbour. In regard to the Control of Dogs Act, 1986, she recommends that a special licence be required for ownership of the breeds that need to be muzzled when in public and that the facilities in which these dogs must be kept be inspected and approved by the relevant authorities before the licence is granted, and that that apply annually. She was thankful that the dogs did not attack her children and that her husband was not alone when this attack occurred. Having witnessed the attack, she does not want another family to have to go through the anguish of wondering whether a victim's arms can be saved or of seeing the disfigurement of a face with swelling, stitches etc. She said her husband is a strong man but he was thrown around and dragged like a rag doll by these animals.
Ironically, an anomaly exists in that the fine for walking a dangerous dog without a lead is €30 whereas there is a €125 on-the-spot fine for the owner of a dog fouling a public place. It is important we address the growing problem of dangerous dogs that are seen by their owners as guard dogs rather than pets.
Any dog warden will tell the Minister that they live not knowing how they will cope with the violence they encounter. I heard of a dog warden who was called to a house to take away a Staffordshire bull terrier. When he arrived 13 such terriers appeared and he could restrain only one with the standard issue restraining pole.
There are many examples of horrific attacks, such as the one in Whitestown in Blanchardstown where a German shepherd dog viciously savaged a 15 year old boy. Other breeds, like springer spaniels, are not in the dangerous category but have carried out horrific attacks on young children.
There is a clear need to update legislation, otherwise no one will be prepared to work as a dog warden. The laws in Britain are much stiffer and in the USA dog wardens may prosecute on the spot. The updating of our law must be done in consultation with the dog wardens, the various welfare organisations and local authorities. Failure to consult has led to flawed by-laws. I refer here, for example, to the by-law under which areas are sectioned off for exercising dogs. A small well trained dog is likely to be savaged if a dangerous dog is released in the same section.
Wardens strongly recommend that the law should be changed to allow a judge to order that a dog should be muzzled if it is found to be dangerous. At present, a judge can either release the dog or have it put down. Owners naturally plead for the life of their dogs, even if they are dangerous. That happened in the case of a springer spaniel. A basic requirement is that microchips should be attached to all dogs so that an owner can be traced if an animal becomes lost and held to account if it attacks any person or other animals.
Organisations such as the DSPCA and the ISPCA carry out onerous and invaluable work on everyone's behalf. In thanking them for their voluntary efforts, I appeal to the Government to recognise that there are more calls on their time and resources than they can handle. They need to be provided with realistic levels of Government resources and facilities. As Mahatma Gandhi said, the greatness of a nation can be judged by the way it treats its animals.
I urge the Government to aspire to some level of greatness and to amend the Control of Dogs Act, 1986, in consultation with the dog wardens who despair at the day to day trauma and violence they encounter, which is growing steadily worse. Security and insurance issues are becoming more serious. People are purchasing dangerous dogs because they want to protect their homes, but they are not caring for those animals properly. I ask the Minister of State to intervene and to consult the dog wardens before there are any more horrific injuries and perhaps deaths.
