Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 set out requirements that owners of 11 specific breeds of dogs, including strains or crosses of those breeds, must comply with.

In public, restricted dogs, and any crosses thereof, must be:

• securely muzzled,
• on a sufficiently strong leash or chain not exceeding 2 metres in length, and
• handled by a competent person over 16 years of age.

I am committed to improving outcomes in relation to Dog Control in Ireland and in this context in November 2023, I increased ‘on-the-spot’ fines for offences under the Control of Dogs Act, including trebling the fines for most serious offences from €100 to €300. Multiple fines can be issued where more than one offence occurs.

In addition, I announced the establishment of a high level stakeholder group to consider and make recommendations to strengthen policy in relation to control of dogs issues. Membership of the stakeholder group will comprise a broad range of expertise including academics, veterinary surgeons, local authorities, farming interests, charities working in the field and animal welfare experts. This stakeholder group will also consider if legislative changes to the Control of Dogs Act are required. The first meeting of this group took place recently.

My Department is also supporting a national training programme for dog wardens to ensure consistency and a standardised approach to enforcement and to support shared learning across the country.

I believe it is important for dog owners to be aware of their responsibilities, not just to the general public but also to their dogs. For this reason, I launched a major national awareness campaign to alert dog owners to their responsibilities and to raise awareness of the dangers that can be posed to people and to livestock by uncontrolled dogs.