The Dog Breeding Establishments Act 2010 remains a matter for the Minister for the Department of Rural and Community Development and the individual Local Authorities in whose functional area the establishment is located. Each local authority is required to maintain a register of dog breeding establishments in its functional area, which must include details of applicants for inclusion on the register and the maximum number of breeding bitches that may be kept at the relevant establishment.
The information available to me is that in the great majority of cases, such establishments operate without giving rise to serious animal welfare concerns. Where serious deficiencies are found and the relevant local authority takes action it is also then the remit of the court system to deal with specific cases.
The then Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government agreed to begin a process of review of the current Dog Breeding Establishment Guidelines in late 2015. In 2016, the review was broadened to a more formal public consultation, both for quality assurance and to address the need for openness and inclusiveness. A wide-scale formal public consultative process commenced on 1 December 2016 and closed on 28 February 2017. It was then transferred in July 2017 to the Department of Rural and Community Development who I understand have the content under consideration pending publication.
