Control of Dogs

Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 27 May 2014

Tuesday, 27 May 2014

Ceisteanna (545)

Maureen O'Sullivan

Ceist:

545. Deputy Maureen O'Sullivan asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the reason a growing number of local authorities are increasingly not rehoming or releasing dogs to rescue centres and instead directly euthanase dog breeds currently listed under the Control of Dogs Act 1998 regulations; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the current legislation incentivises councils to euthanase rather than taking the risk of releasing them for fear of legal prosecution; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22689/14]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government

Dog control activities are the responsibility of local authorities. My Department publishes statistics in relation to these activities, which are available at the following link: http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/StatisticsandRegularPublications/DogControl/. Those statistics show no evidence that a growing number of local authorities are not rehoming or releasing dogs to rescue centres; in fact, all local authorities rehome dogs, the majority doing so in co-operation with dog welfare groups.

The current legislation does not incentivise dogs being put down over efforts to rehome them. The dog control statistics show a consistent decrease in the number of dogs put down over the last number of years, including a decrease of over 20% between 2012 and 2013.

Question No. 546 answered with Question No. 538.