LONGFORD COUNTY Council has introduced a ban on all potentially dangerous dogs from local authority housing, amid ongoing complaints from local residents.
As the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) yesterday expressed concern about an increase in the number of illegal dog-fighting events in area, a spokesman for the council said the ban has been in place for the past few months.
"We've had ongoing complaints about dogs, for example about nuisance issues such as barking at night and packs of dogs together."
However, he said only new tenants are affected by the ban, which covers pit bull terriers, greyhounds and all other types of dogs listed as restricted breeds in the control of dogs regulations.
The ISPCA said it has received at least 12 calls in relation to alleged dog-fighting incidents in the area over the past three months alone. But current animal welfare laws make it extremely difficult to establish ownership of an individual animal - and as a result, to prosecute owners, it said. This could be addressed by the introduction of animal microchipping.
ISPCA inspector Niamh Byrne said she was concerned that pit bull-type dogs appear to be particularly popular in the Longford area.
"Where located, most of the dogs have shown the type of injury or scarring indicative of what you would expect to find as a result of involvement in dog fighting. The presence of in this area is becoming increasingly evident," she said.
The society's chief inspector Conor Dowling said inspectors have come across dogs that have "recently been involved in organised dog fights which are completely unresponsive due to shock and stress".
"Although dogs sometimes die in the course of a fight, it is more common for them to die later when their adrenalin levels decline and the body goes into shock."