Dog control measures have been passed by the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Compulsory microchipping and a new offence of allowing a dog to attack another pet are included in the legislation.
Agriculture Minister Michelle Gildernew welcomed the Bill’s passage.
“I hope the passage of this new Bill sends out the message that casual and careless dog ownership is not acceptable in our community,” she said.
“The owners of dogs who attack people, livestock and - for the first time - other people’s pets, face substantial penalties, and the new control conditions will help dog wardens enforce the law.”
The Dogs (Amendment) Bill will also enable council wardens to impose controls on dogs where there has been a breach of control laws. This will mean that a problem dog can only be kept under certain conditions - for instance, always leashed when in public, or kept away from specified places.
Wardens could require that a dog or its owner undergo training, or even, in extreme cases, that an aggressive dog be neutered. A breach of a control condition will be an offence punishable by a maximum fine of £2,500.
“These new controls will shift the focus on to the actual behaviour and management of individual problem dogs, whatever their breed," said Ms Gildernew. “The legislation will help us tackle the minority of irresponsible owners who undermine everything that is good and positive about dog ownership.”
PA