Liam Twomey (Fine Gael)

The time varies for different dogs but the Minister should consider at least nine months for the average dog. Most people will not keep a pup beyond nine months. It will be sold or used for some other purpose. Four months is too young. Some dogs breed much later than that. For instance, a pelvic test is done on Labradors at 13 months to see if they are suitable for breeding. Other dogs have different breeding cycles. The Minister wants this provision to be restrictive but that could cause problems for genuine breeders and this figure must be changed.