Relief for Waterford dog shelters as bully ban altered

An imminent ban on the rehoming of XL bully dogs from shelters has been postponed until February of next year following concern from animal welfare charities.

XL bully dogs in local and national shelters faced being euthanised this week when the new laws were due to come into effect.

From October 1, 2024, these new regulations planned to prohibit the importing, breeding, selling and re-homing of XL Bully type dogs and from February 1, 2025 it will be illegal to own an XL Bully dog without a Certificate of Exemption.

A comment from Waterford City & County Council this week clarified that the ban on rehoming the animals has been postponed.

“XL Bullys which are in the care of animal welfare charities and shelters on 1 October will be permitted to be rehomed or exported subject to strict criteria until 1 February 2025.”

Speaking after a cabinet meeting last week, the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD said: "I am bringing these regulations into force in the interest of public safety following a number of horrific attacks by XL Bully dogs.

"I am concerned that if we do not take action now, the number of these dogs in the country will grow and my fear is that these attacks will become more frequent.

"While I know not everybody will agree with the ban, my ultimate priority is to protect public safety."

Speaking to the Waterford News & Star, ISPCA CEO Dr. Cyril Sullivan said that he has worked with the department to alter the legislation.

“I have been pushing for the optimum animal welfare position for all shelters through this process. What's effectively been proposed is a ban on an animal because of its shape. 

"We feel that proper ownership of these animals would mean that a ban is not necessary, so we were pushing as much as we could. The minister thankfully has listened to us and we’re delighted that a number of items have been added.” 

Dr. Sullivan said that along with expanding the rehoming process to February 1, the original proposal that there would be a fee of €120 on dog owners for a certificate of exemption has now also been scrapped and will now be free.

This certificate will be unique to each XL Bully type dog and owner. It will specify the dog’s licence details, microchip details, neutering details, age and description. 

Dr. Sullivan added that while the new development is a positive, dog shelters across Waterford and nationally still risk an influx of dogs being abandoned.

 “Our concerns is that there will be a surge in the abandonment of these animals. A number of measures have been taken by the minister that has helped but there is still a risk to it, not just after February, but from now until February 1 when people are trying to put everything together such as neutering etc. Particularly with the older dogs it can be more costly.

Dr. Sullivan pleaded with Waterford XL Bully type dog owners to get a certificate of exemption. Any owner found to be in breach of the regulations may have their dog seized and euthanized in a humane manner and the owner will be subject to a fine of up to €2,500, or imprisonment of a term of up to three months, or both.

He has also asked locals to consider rehoming dogs from shelters before February 1.