Animal Welfare
Dail Éireann — 2025-10-14
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George Lawlor (LAB), Wexford

I thank the Minister for his supportive words. This proposed campaign was inspired by a young pup called Stout who suffered from severe health difficulties arising from malnutrition, poor breeding practice and the unsanitary conditions that he was kept in. The campaign is led by two people in Wexford - Tara O'Connor and Kevin Keegan. They are proposing some reasonable legislation and that the legislation would be amended to place a more exacting standard on dog breeders. They believe legislation must mandate a firm commitment on the part of dog breeders to safeguard the welfare of the animal with an explicit reference to freedom from discomfort and freedom to express normal behaviour. In the legal context, pets currently fall under the definition of "personal property". Stout's law aims to redefine pets as beings with intrinsic needs. Backyard breeders tend to escape oversight and potential incidents of mistreatment can only come to light where, for instance, neighbours raise concerns. There is no dedicated Garda unit to deal with animal cruelty. Dog breeding establishment guidelines deal with important issues, including animal housing, hygiene, exercise and registration, but it is important that the enforcement of the guidelines is in place. Local authorities, despite their best efforts, are not in a position to ensure enforcement as much as we would like.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2025-10-14/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-09-21T01:01:04+00:00
Sitting date: 2025-10-14