Castlebar councillor Harry Barrett has written to the county manager, Peter Hynes, asking him to appoint a replacement dog warden for the county. Cllr Barrett made his learnt that the county has no dog warden services at present as the current dog warden appointed is on extended leave.
Cllr Barrett stated: “I have had to deal with a number of calls in relation to unmuzzled breeds of dogs around Castlebar, and I've learned to my dismay, that there is no dog warden on duty within the county.”
The Labour councillor said: “There has been an increase in the reporting to the council, of dog owners walking dogs around Castlebar unmuzzled, that under the law must be muzzled. There are at least 11 breeds on the list that must be muzzled and we have nobody within the county dealing with this. If this situation is not rectified we eventually will have a serious incident with these animals.
“There is also the issue of stray dogs that kill sheep. The dog warden plays a vital role is controlling this situation. Stray dogs are costing farmers in this county thousands of euro per year, and the issue is going to escalate if not monitored and controlled by the warden.”
Cllr Barrett said that hopefully the service will be “reinstated sooner rather than later, to avoid a tragic accident or unnecessary wanton destruction of farming stock.”
