Darragh's Soapbox: Banning certain dog breeds
Amanda Power: 'It's how people train the dog'
More and more reports of fatal and severe dog attacks have been coming out in recent years.
There are currently no dog breeds banned in Ireland, unlike in Britain, where it is a criminal offence to own an XL Bully without a valid exemption certificate.
There are however a number of breeds in Ireland that are restricted, including XL Bullies.
Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys TD, announced a campaign in April entitled, "It’s not your dog’s fault, it's yours", aimed at increasing awareness of the harm that out of control dogs can do to people and to livestock.
Locals were asked this week whose fault it is in the event of a dog attack.
said, “Certain breeds should be banned. I think certain breeds are dangerous and it's not down to the owner. It's still an animal, and no matter how much training you give they could snap. In England they’re banned and it should be the same here, they’re too dangerous, especially in housing estates with young kids around.
“I’d be terrified of them. I don’t agree with the XL Bullies, they shouldn’t be around areas where there’s a lot of people and children.”
added, “I think they should ban certain breeds. I’m a dog owner, but certain breeds can be dangerous, and human error can lead to dogs getting out of the house in an area around children.”
said, “It’s down to the owner. I think it’s how people train the dog.
"People are under the impression they can get a dog, go to work and leave the dog in the house all day, and the poor dog is so high energy and it’s starved of human interaction and it doesn’t know how to behave properly.
"It’s a huge ambition, but I think there should be training done for people, so that they know how to behave around dogs. People don’t know dog language.
“I think if you’re going to own a dog you have to put the work in.”
