Control of Dogs
Dail Éireann — 2024-06-20
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Heather Humphreys (FG), Cavan-Monaghan

The group will meet next week and I have asked it to prioritise the issue of the restricted breeds. I have asked it to look at this. The XL bully is a crossbreed of the American bully. It is already on the restricted breeds list. This means people have to control their dogs on a short leash and muzzle when out in public. People who own these dogs have levels of responsibilities.
I have increased the fines for dogs that are not kept under proper control. I have given €2 million to local authorities so that dog wardens have what they need in terms of vans and equipment. There has been a major publicity campaign on responsible dog ownership with advertisements on national and local media in recent months. I am taking this matter extremely seriously. That is why I asked the former deputy Garda Commissioner John Twomey to chair the group. This in itself sends out a very clear message on how serious I am about strengthening the enforcement on dog controls. The task force will prioritise the area of restricted breeds. If it recommends banning these restricted breeds or banning the XL bully, I will have no problem doing so. We just have to work out what the impact of banning will be.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2024-06-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:53:06+00:00
Sitting date: 2024-06-20