Tougher restricted breed law will not stop dog attacks

Following the horrific late November attack by a dog on a nine-year-old boy in Enniscorthy, Co Wexford, Taoiseach Micheál Martin told the Dáil that there was a need to seriously examine legislation on the ownership of dogs included on the restricted breeds list.

That view may, on the surface, seem reasonable. But it has little grounding in dog-bite statistics or canine behavioural science. The real, long-standing, and serious problem is the Republic’s ridiculously low level of enforcement of existing dog legislation and lack of guidance on responsible ownership, regardless of breed.

In fact, many of the State’s leading experts on canine behaviour say a big criticism of the current Irish legislation is that it includes a restricted breed law in the first place. There’s no evidence that such restrictions are effective and data is unreliable on whether particular breeds are more prone to bite. Bite statistics globally are of poor quality and in such cases breed is rarely verified. Meanwhile, studies and insurance statistics have identified breeds as varied as Labradors, Jack Russell terriers, Chihuahuas, Dachshunds and Border Collies as significant biters. The large breeds on the Republic’s restricted list also regularly feature in the statistics, but experts say evidence may be skewed as bites from larger dogs of popular breeds are probably more likely to be reported.

The most notable reductions in bites have come from targeted international campaigns

—  Anne Rogers, vice-chairwoman of the Irish Veterinary Behaviour Association

“Breed identification is widely inaccurate and variable and all dogs are capable of bites and aggressive behaviour,” says Anne Rogers, tutor and director of dog training and education centre AniEd [Animal Education] Ireland and vice-chairwoman of the Irish Veterinary Behaviour Association. The most notable reductions in bites have come from targeted international campaigns in which evidence-based dog control laws are strongly enforced and owners are provided with effective education, she says.

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But the Republic lacks sufficient evidence-based legislation, says Rogers. And people who work in animal welfare say the laws that do exist are poorly enforced. Enforcement statistics obtained for almost every Irish county through Freedom of Information (FoI) requests, and shared with The Irish Times, demonstrate starkly how little enforcement is done in the State.

Most counties imposed just a few dozen fines over the three years between 2018-2020, with almost all fines falling within only three categories: lack of a dog licence; lack of proper control; or fouling. Countrywide just six fines were given in respect of restricted breed legislation, for dogs unmuzzled or off-lead. Carlow, a county with several large dog breeding establishments, did not issue a single dog-control fine in three years.

Population centres varied widely. Fingal in Dublin issued 227 fines for dog licence violations alone, while Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown imposed just 33 fines in total. Longford — the county in which the Irish Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has its headquarters — issued a scant 13 fines over three years. Only a few cities and counties actively enforced much of anything.

Microchip enforcement was especially disappointing. The introduction of mandatory dog microchipping in the 2013 animal welfare legislation was widely applauded because this enables lost or stolen dogs to be returned to owners and breeders to be traceable and held accountable. Yet these FoI reports show that across the 24 counties from which information was obtained, not a single microchip fine was issued between 2018-2020, a fact likely to shock even the most jaded dog-rescue volunteer.

Other documented problems exist. For example, Irish law prohibits breeders from chipping dogs. Yet on one national microchip website, at least three operators of dog breeding establishments are listed as authorised chip implanters.

For 192,348 licensed dogs there are around 60 full-time equivalent dog wardens

—  Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan

In the Seanad, Sinn Féin Senator Lynn Boylan recently raised the problem of underfunding dog-control enforcement measures. “For 192,348 licensed dogs there are around 60 full-time equivalent dog wardens. That’s a ratio of 3,205 dogs for every warden and does not include the dogs that are unlicensed,” she said.

She’s also concerned that dog control responsibilities are, confusingly, dispersed across three Government departments, an issue highlighted in a recent report on Issues Impacting Dog Welfare in Ireland from the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, on which she sits. Focusing oversight into a single department would be a welcome improvement.

While the State’s dog control legislation has room for other productive revisions that would enhance welfare and safety, adding further meaningless restrictions on a small number of dog breeds is not the answer. Instead, we should improve dog control legislation where evidence supports change, supply the funding and resources to enforce the good legislation we already have and better inform owners on how to responsibly care for and manage their dogs.

• Karlin Lillington writes for The Irish Times