Lynn Boylan (Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

Today I would like to echo the expressions of solidarity for nine-year-old Alejandro Miszan, who was attacked by a pitbull and is still recovering in hospital. It is deeply concerning that according to newspaper reports there has been a spike in dog attacks, especially by pitbulls. Some of the commentary and calls from people in positions of power, including the Taoiseach, for a ban on breeds are knee-jerk reactions. Such a ban would require years to phase in unless the Taoiseach is calling for a mass cull of certain breeds of dog. The reality is that in Ireland we have quite good legislation on animal welfare and particularly when it comes to dogs, but we have woeful enforcement. Yesterday, in a Commencement matter, it was confirmed that there are only 50 full-time and 21 part-time dog wardens in the country. If we break that down on the basis of the number of dogs that have been licensed in the last year, and we know there are people out there who do not get their dogs licensed, it equates to one warden per 3,777 dogs. It is completely impractical to think that the dog wardens can enforce the current legislation. If we want the Control of Dogs Act 1986 to be enforced, we must resource the local authorities to have enough dog wardens to enforce the regulations. The dangerous dog regulations are in place. They do not excuse owners from being responsible, but the reality is that if the chances of offenders being caught are slim to none, then people will ignore the regulations. The local authorities must be properly resourced to enforce the Act. There must also be a public awareness campaign to ensure that people know that if they have one of these breeds they must have the dog muzzled. I am in favour of our dog breeding establishment guidelines being put on a legislative footing and cutting down on the industrial breeding of dogs. The dogs that are coming out of the puppy farms are coming out with severe behavioural problems because they are not properly socialised.