Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael)
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The Department of Rural and Community Development was established in 2017 and has overall policy responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts 1986 to 2014. Local Authorities have responsibility for all operational matters under the Control of Dogs Acts including licensing and enforcement.

My Department publishes annual statistics in respect of a range of the dog control responsibilities of local authorities. Information up to and including 2022, including numbers of dog licenses issued, by county and in tabular form, is available on the dog control statistics page on gov.ie: (www.gov.ie/en/collection/879d4c-dog-control-statistics/). The 2023 dog control statistics will be published on gov.ie once available. My Department does not hold statistics on the estimated number of unlicensed dogs.

My Department has also worked closely with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to publish a plain-language leaflet informing dog owners of their legal obligations. This leaflet was recently distributed and is now available from every dog warden, local authority and veterinary surgery in the country in addition to over 100 animal welfare charities. It is also available online at Gov.ie/ResponsibleDogOwnership.

I was pleased to secure additional funding in the Budget to support a national media campaign to raise awareness of dog owner’s responsibilities. I expect to launch this campaign in the coming weeks.