The government’s plans to increase fines for breaches in law by dog owners will be “useless” without more dog wardens according to independent TD, Sean Canney.
He has claimed that Ireland does not have the necessary number of dog wardens to enforce the laws.
Over 400 people were hospitalised last year after being attacked by a dog but the number of prosecutions are in single figures, according to the Galway TD.
The increased fines were announced by Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys earlier this month in an effort to enhance dog control and prevent dog attacks.
According to Humphrey, pet owners who do not have ‘effectual control’ of their dog will face an on-the-spot fine of €300 from December 1, 2023.
“It is important in terms of promoting responsible dog ownership,” Humphreys said at the time.
Speaking about the issue, Deputy Canney said: “I understand that we have 20 dog wardens in place in the country where there is a dog population in excess of 500,000.”
He also said that “this is an insult to the law-abiding citizens and leaves the public in danger of further incidents and risk of permanent injury or death”.
Canney reiterated that the number of dog wardens needs to be “increased tenfold across every Local Authority area with immediate effect if we are serious about tackling the problem”.
According to Canney “enforcement and prevention are key to protect people from being attacked by dogs”.