Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys is seeking advice from the Attorney General on how a ban on XL bully dogs would work in Ireland.
The minister made the comments in the Seanad today (Tuesday, June 11) during a private members’ motion on the control of dogs.
The debate comes in the wake of the tragic death of a 23-year-old woman in Co. Limerick last week following a dog attack.
Nicole Morey suffered fatal injuries in the incident at a house in the rural village of Ballyneety, around 12km from Limerick city shortly before midnight on Wednesday, June 5.
Last week, a man and a woman were injured and hospitalised after a separate dog attack in Cork.
Dog control
Minister Humphreys confirmed that the government was not opposing a bill calling for further dog controls brought forward by Senators Erin McGrehan, Robbie Gallagher, Eugene Murphy, Micheál Carrigy, Malcolm Byrne and Diarmuid Wilson.
In the wake of last year’s dog attack on Alejandro Mizsan, a young boy in Wexford, the minister said that fines have been increased for owners of dogs not under proper control.
Funding of €2 million has also been allocated to local authorities to boost resources for dog warden services.
Minister Humphrey also established an expert working group, chaired by former deputy garda commissioner, John Twomey, to examine what additional dog control measures can be brought forward.
The minister told the Seanad that the group is examining the “restricted breeds lists” which are subject to stricter controls.
“I want to talk specifically about the XL bully. The XL bully is a cross-breed of the American bully and is already covered by the restricted breeds list. I believe we need to go further.
“The UK have taken steps which mean since February it has been a criminal offence to own an XL bully. Northern Ireland are now looking at introducing similar restrictions.
“As somebody from the border region, I don’t think we should be out of step with Northern Ireland on this,” she said.
XL bully
The minister said that she is consulting with the Attorney General “on how a ban on the XL Bully would work in Ireland and what legislative changes may be required to give effect to this”.
“I know some people will not like hearing this today. They will tell me that they own an XL bully and it would never hurt anybody. I can’t ignore the facts.
“The XL bully was the dog involved in the attack on Alejandro Mizsan in Wexford and it was also the dog involved in the attack in Limerick last week which killed Nicole Morey.
“We all love our dogs, but no dog’s life is worth more than human life,” she said.
The minister acknowledged that any dog can bite, however she pointed to the damage which an XL bully is capable of inflicting in an attack.
“The history of these dogs is that they were bred to be aggressive, it’s in their nature,” she continued.
“I have asked the stakeholder group to prioritise work on restricted breeds and I will be meeting with them later this month to hear their views,” she said.
The government is also looking to countries like Denmark and France where similar bans have implemented.
“The ban of the XL bully in the UK has been the subject of a judicial review so it’s important we get this right,” Minister Humphreys added.
Although no breed of dog is currently banned in Ireland, a number of breeds are “restricted”, including the American and English pit bull terriers, bull mastiffs, Doberman pinschers, German shepherds and rottweilers.
There is also a restriction placed on so-called “ban dogs” which is a cross or mixture of any of the breeds previously mentioned or any strain of the above dogs listed.
Owners of these restricted breeds are required to keep them on a short strong lead with someone over the age of 16 who can control them.
The dogs must be muzzled in a public place and wear a collar with the name and address of their owner.