Erin McGreehan (Louth, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Minister of State and acknowledge the work done in the past Dáil regarding the banning of dogs. I also thank him for acknowledging the Bill I introduced in the Seanad. I believe it is a good template for what we can do and work off.

I hope the Department of agriculture can take over this entire brief and for it not to be across the three Departments as it is at present. We need awareness and accountability with penalties. We need resourcing of dog wardens and to give them more powers. Most of all, we must ensure the welfare of both the animal, that is, the dog and the people it attacks is protected. It is not the dog's fault it runs after, scares, frightens, plays chase or attacks and eats a sheep. It is playing a game and acting on its basic instincts. We must remember it is human responsibility here and that is what we can legislate for and do a good job on.

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