ronan fagan
New bye laws and greater fines must be introduced to curb the threat of uncontrolled dogs in public places, elected representatives of Athlone-Moate Municipal District were informed at a recent sitting in the Civic Centre Chamber.
Raising the issue, Fine Gael Councillor, John Dolan, referenced the fatal attack on a family pet dog in Burgess Park prior to Christmas which he stated would have been “an even greater tragedy” if a child had been set upon by the unmuzzled canine in the town’s largest public space.
“As a local authority we could have been dealing with an even greater tragedy if a child was fatally attacked by this uncontrolled and unmuzzled dog. To prevent such an incident reoccurring, we, as a council, have to establish and introduce new bye-laws and impose greater fines on those who choose to flout the rules in this regard,” Cllr Dolan stated.
The Fine Gael Councillor asserted the need for council staff to be “fully trained” and “equipped with the necessary tools” to deal with similar situations in the future.
“I must commend the council staff and local Gardai who took control of the dog in this instance at a great risk to their lives. We have one dog warden in our county and understandably they cannot be present in Athlone on a regular basis, so it is wholly necessary that our staff are empowered to address such incidents if they arise going forward. The need is great for continuous engagement with the Gardai in such circumstances and relevant bye-laws must be stringently enforced.” Cllr Dolan added.
Continuing, Cllr Dolan stated that such breeds of dog must always be registered with the council, noting that there was no need for their presence in public settings.
Gaining full support from his fellow elected representatives, Green Party Councillor, Louise Heavin stated that there was a need for a “person on the ground” who would visit the town’s public spaces and inquire from dog owners if they had a “relevant licenCe in place.”
“We, as a council, must also improve our social media content with regard to the licensing and dog control legislation that is presently in place. I know of one particular incident where a constituent visited the council office to register a dog. The relevant paperwork could not be located and this is not how it should be. If this is the case and there is no updated information on our various social media channels, I would be of the view that numerous dog owners are not registering their canines,” Cllr Heavin commented.
Concurring, Cllr Aengus O’Rourke asserted that those living in council housing should not be permitted to maintain sizeable and dangerous breeds of dogs in “postage stamp” sized gardens.
“I know of one particular council house in which two continuously barking Rottweilers are causing great disturbance and annoyance to neighbours in the estate. This is not acceptable,” Cllr O’Rourke stressed.
Cllr O’Rourke called upon the dog warden to visit the council chamber and give a presentation pertaining to the dog control bye-laws.
The notion of sharing a dog warden between Athlone and Roscommon was mooted by Cllr Tom Farrell.
“This problematic issues seems to occur moreso in densely populated urban locations and sharing a dog warden with Roscommon town is a suggestion which holds merit. I am certainly of the view that dangerous breeds of dog should not be permitted to walk the greenway,” Cllr Farrell stated,
Responding, district manager, Jackie Finney, stated that there were existing bye-laws in place, to negate the potential threat of dangerous breeds of dogs in urban locations.
“All dogs must be maintained on a leash in public settings and there is signage in place encouraging owners to adhere to such practice. Dangerous and restricted breeds must always be muzzled when in public view,” Ms Finney said.
The district manager stressed that staff were adequately trained to deal with issues as they occur, but in situations where there is a threat to live “gardai were usually the initial point of contact.”
Ms Finney noted that the dog warden visited Athlone, but it was not a “24/7 service”, stating that the council’s environment section were in the process of reviewing the training of staff with regard to the implementation of dog control bye-laws.
A detailed council executive response to Cllr Dolan’s motion stated that “under the parks and open spaces, bye-laws dogs are required to be on a leash in a public park or open space. Regulations under the Control of Dogs Act require that dangerous dogs, as defined under the regulations, must be kept securely muzzled and led on a sufficiently long leash or chain not exceeding two metres in length by a competent person over 16 years of age. The dog warden is trained and equipped to deal with stray dogs and dangerous dogs and support is provided from Municipal Districts when required. The gardai also have powers and are equipped to deal with dangerous dogs and can respond where issues occur outside normal business hours.”
