Cork County council vets to call for all dogs to be insured in case of attacks
Were — Owners Muzzle Listed Said Not A Lead Of Which Her Councillor Are Their Of A Breeds Her Constituents Without Control Around Lot Under Contacting Or The About Running
Cork County Council veterinary officers are to ask a national forum dealing with the control of dogs to recommend to the Government that it be compulsory for dog owners to have insurance cover in the event their pets attack humans or livestock.
The move comes after county councillors expressed concern at the increase in dog ownership in the region, especially potentially dangerous breeds.
There has been a significant increase in the number of licensed dogs in Co Cork.
Louis Duffy, head of the council’s environment department, said when parts of the county were ceded to the city council in late 2019, about 10,000 dog licences were transferred from the county into city administration.
After the enlargement of the city, the county council was left with 27,000 licensed dogs in its area. This has now increased by more than 4,000.
Some county councillors fear the increase, especially of listed (and non-listed) dogs could lead to an increase in attacks on humans and livestock and more dog fouling on the streets.
Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan said people living in his area (the Kankurk/Mallow Municipal District), which has the highest concentration of dogs of all the county’s municipal districts, have told him about the number of potentially dangerous dogs “running out of control".
He said he did not want to see a repeat of the terrible facial injuries recently inflicted on nine-year-old Wexford boy Alejandro Miszan by a pit bull terrier.
Fine Gael councillor Kay Dawson said a lot of her constituents were contacting her about listed breeds which are running around not under the control of their owners — without a lead or muzzle.
“There has to be more enforcement on that,” she told Mr Duffy, who is in charge of the county’s dog wardens.
He told the if information is provided on such incidents by the public, wardens will investigate it with a view to ensuring it does not happen again. However, he added that if the owners persist in not obeying the law, then the council will require witnesses to be prepared to testify in court.
Independent councillor Frank Roche said he had been contacted by several farmers recently who are concerned about increased dog attacks on their livestock.
“They [dogs] should all be insured as in many cases their owners can’t afford to pay compensation,” Mr Roche said.
He urged the council to try and seek the implementation of compulsory insurance for dogs and Mr Duffy said he would get his veterinary department officials to raise that issue at the National Working Group on the Control of Dogs.
Mr Duffy said while there was a sizeable increase in dogs in the county, he believes owners are becoming more responsible when it comes to cleaning dog dirt off the streets and as a dog owner himself said he had witnessed a more responsible attitude in the past few years.