Stray dog attacks get councillors hot under the collar
Have stray dogs become a big issue or are councillors barking up the wrong tree?
A MAN was knocked off his bike by a stray dog and a visually-impaired woman was attacked on the sideline of a match by another dog. These were some of the allegations aired at the most recent meeting of Kildare County Council, when the issue of stray dogs around the county was discussed.
Cllr Brendan Wyse introduced a motion saying that the council should outline what it is doing to control stray dogs ‘and the process used in dealing with repeated situations of loose dogs, in order to prevent injury to members of the public from same’.
The motion was supported by cllrs William Durkan and Bill Clear.
Speaking at the meeting, cllr Wyse mentioned the story of the man being knocked off his bike and said that “if a dog is loose once or twice, it should not be returned” to its owner.
In response to cllr Wyse’s motion, a report issued by director of services for climate, community, environment and water Marian Higgins outlined the role and responsibilities of the council’s dog warden service in dog control and its work with the gardaí and the public.
Midland Animal Care Limited has been the county’s new dog warden service provider since it took over from the ISPCA at the start of the year. The company has been running the Kildare county dog shelter in Ballitore since 1 January.
Ms Higgin’s report further detailed that the dog warden service ‘looks after stray and unwanted dogs and enforcement’ in relation to the The warden possesses the authority to seize dogs that are not under control in public places.
The report noted dog owners’ roles and responsibilities, which include getting dogs micro-chipped and having them wear a collar badge or tag with the owner’s contact details. It was added in the council’s report that in the case of certain breeds, it is the owner’s responsibility to have the dog on a leash, muzzled and accompanied by a person over the age of 16 while in public.
The report also pointed out that owners are liable for injuries caused by their dogs and that any dog attack should be reported to the gardaí. The district court can order that a dog be kept under proper control or put down if a complaint is made that a dog is dangerous and not kept under proper control.
Cllr Clear said that he wants a dog warden service in all five municipal districts of the county, which would be a significant increase on the sole service based in the Athy MD. Cllr Tim Durkan supported this proposal.
Cllr Clear also mentioned the story of a match he attended recently where the visually-impaired woman – accompanied at the match by her guide dog – was attacked by a dog.
Cllr Tim Durkan expressed concern over levels of adherence to legislation which places restrictions on certain dog breeds.
Speaking at the meeting, Ms Higgins said that there won’t be separate dog warden services for MD, and noted that the current available service “is a county-wide service”.
