Control of Dogs
Seanad Éireann — 2025-07-03
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Neale Richmond (FG), Dublin Rathdown

I will make three points in very brief reply to the Senator. First, with regard to the use of the word "type" and how it came to be and the need to separate, there is an XL breed but then, within the breed, there are types of dogs. That is the differentiation that was sought because there is a very specific thing at play here. In terms of the training in respect of identification and those processes, I fully take the Senator's points on board, but I have been reassured that those processes are in place as best as is possible.
It does come to the issue with regard to the ideological and ethical issue of whether one believe bans work or not. The Government has made a decision to ban this type of breed of dog for very particular high-profile reasons, and we are not alone in doing that. At some stage in politics, we all have to live with agreeing to disagree. However, improvements can always be made to legislation and that requires the full engagement of all aspects of the House. I am sure the Minister, Deputy Heydon, will be more than happy to go along that path with the Senator as quickly as possible.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/seanad/2025-07-03/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:00+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-07-03