Aisling Dolan (Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I very much welcome the Minister, who is here to discuss the Animal Health and Welfare (Dogs) Bill 2022. I thank our colleagues for bringing this forward. I grew up on a farm and around animals and I respect animals both large animals and small. I respect large animals because when you are in a field with a bull and cattle, you quickly understand that you are safe if you respect them. That is how you keep yourself safe. Farm safety has been a big thing. It s also a big thing within the Department and for the Minister of State, Deputy Heydon, and Teagasc.

We have small dogs, two Jack Russells. I am very sorry to hear about the loss of pets because it is like the loss of a family member sometimes. Families are left distraught altogether. Living on a farm, we always understood that dogs had to be kept in kennels at night-time. They always had to be under control and had to be fenced in at your house and within your garden. Fencing is always a great topic for farmers. It was crucial that responsibility was shown. Along with love for an animal comes responsibility. We sometimes see people not understanding that responsibility. That is why we sometimes see people taking a pet not for a lifetime, but for a short period. That is not good enough. Anyone who has a pet or who is a farmer has a love of animals and a respect for them. That empathy is part of what makes us who we are both in the farming community and as Irish people. Irish people have real empathy for animals. That is unique to our culture and our heritage.

We just had our October horse fair in Ballinasloe. It has been going for 300 years. It was absolutely stunning. We had temperatures of 18°C. The Minister will have to come down and see it very soon, although I know it is a bit of a hike down from Donegal. It was absolutely incredible. Thousands of people came to see stunning horses in our fair green. That festival has gone through generations of my family. Going with my family to see the fair is part of who we are. It is for the farming community in a rural town but also for our new communities and the many people who come to see the fair and see what it means. The fair is held over two weekends. This weekend, we are going to have our dog show. That was always a real point of interest. All the different breeds will come out. There has been an advent of dog shows across the country. We have them at the agricultural shows in Strokestown, Elphin, Roscommon and Mountbellew. In the west and across the remainder of the country, you see many people, not only those from farming backgrounds, bringing their pets and showing a lot of love. Many companies and businesses, such as, for example, Petmania, attend. It even extends to our very well-heeled shoppers. I was walking around Dundrum a month ago as a treat and there is a place you can leave your pet when you go shopping, which knocked me for six I must admit. They have everything out there. Of course, that is not to say we do not have it in the west as well.

What I would really like to highlight is the importance of dogs being kept in kennels and that responsibility. I know the Minister is working with the Ministers, Deputies Humphreys and O'Brien, on this issue. Locally, I have worked with the dog wardens in Galway County Council and we have seen challenges around the control of dogs, which have caused difficulties. I have had to make calls a number of times because I live close to the bogs. Many people go to the bogs, which are beautiful, to abandon their pets. Three or four times, I have picked up a pet when I have had to go to Dublin so I have knocked on my mum's door and asked if she could mind it while we get the dog warden to come out. The dog warden will then tell me that the kennels are full and that there is no space to take in the pet and ask if I can mind it for a day or two or three. What are we supposed to do? I know the Minister is working hard and fighting to get more dog wardens for local authorities.

MADRA Dog Rescue has a wonderful website. It is a Galway-based dog charity. I always love reading its stories in the Galway Advertiser. I have just looked it up on the website and the current story is about Maisie. Anyone out there who is looking at getting a pet should think about what it means to bring a pet that has been rescued into their home. If that is a possibility for a family, they should think about the opportunities and advantages associated with that.

The other part is about the linking the Minister has talked about. If he gets an opportunity to speak today or on the next occasion, he might speak about the databases, how we are using technology to support us and linking those databases. The dog licence comes from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine but it is the local authority that monitors it through the wardens and so on and it is very difficult to have those links. That is really what the Minister is now doing. He is building that through this group. It is great to see all of us working together on that.

Will the Minister give us an update on that interdepartmental group? What else does he see as the objectives arising? With this working group, the Minister is looking at enforcement at local authority level, the provision of dog wardens, which I have mentioned, microchipping and promoting responsible dog ownership and licences. There needs to be a little bit more support with regard to communications regarding managing and controlling dogs. We need to see investment in communications in that regard. We will get an opportunity to speak on this again. Other colleagues may like to come in. I will allow them to join us.