Ms Nanci Creedon:

I thank the Chairman very much for the opportunity to speak on the topic of dangerous dogs and offer some assistance on the topic. It is a topic I am extremely passionate about.

In 2017, my research on dog bites in Ireland was published in the Irish Veterinary Journal. This research compared the characteristics of bites from legislated dog breeds and non-legislated dog breeds to determine what differences exist in the characteristics of the two groups. The research found no significant difference between a bite from a dog on the restricted breed list and a bite from a dog on the non-restricted breed list in regard to the age of the victim, the location on the body of the bite, the relationship between the victim and the dog, and whether the dog has a history of aggression. There is no difference in the severity of the bites in terms of the medical treatment required to treat them. However, a statistical difference arose in respect of whether the dog bite was reported to the dog warden and the Garda, with the study finding that bites of dogs on the restricted breed list are more likely to be reported to the authorities.

On the matter of dog breeds and breed-specific traits, we have yet to define a breed-specific trait that is not a species-specific trait of all dogs. When we examine different breeds, we can say certain of them are better at herding or following a scent, for example. However, there are many individuals in each breed that are pretty poor at doing whatever their specific job is. There are many collies in rescue centres throughout Ireland because they are not good at being collies, and there are many individual dogs from other breeds, and maybe some pigs, that may be better at herding than some collies. In my line of work, assuming that a dog will display certain behaviours or have a certain temperament due to its breed displays ignorance. I would never assume when meeting a new dog – a beagle, for example – that it will do X, Y or Z. I have worked with countless purebred dogs that simply do not behave typically of their breed.

A dog displaying aggressive behaviour is absolutely not doing so because of its breed. Instead, aggressive behaviour is a product of the environment the dog is in, its arousal level at the time and its experiences. A dog's choosing of aggressive behaviour is absolutely in the context of the situation. Whenever we are looking at a dog that has bitten or is behaving aggressively, we are looking at the circumstances and asking what is going on to cause the behaviour.

In Ireland, we have a list of restricted breeds, and dogs of these breeds, or breed mixes, must be muzzled, on a leash and handled by a person over 16 while in public. This is what is in the current legislation to minimise dog bites and dog bite fatalities.

While there are no formal records of the fatality, I have learned from a friend of the death of a young boy in Ballincollig, County Cork, who died several decades ago after receiving several bites from a litter of six-month-old greyhound puppies. Teresa McDonagh was killed by a dog attack in Galway in 2017. The attack occurred on the grounds of her son's property, where bullmastiff dogs were kept, again not in breach of the Control of Dogs Act. Eight-year-old Glen Murphy was killed by two Rottweilers in his home in Dublin in 2020. Four-month-old Mia O'Connell lost her life in 2021 due to a fatal dog bite from a dachshund.