“I see dog bites first hand every single week” - local dog warden
Checks were carried out in Fermoy on Tuesday to ensure that dog owners had their dogs’ licenced and to raise awareness around dog safety.
This follows after it was revealed by The Independent that for the period between 2017 and 2020, Cork County Council stated that there were 288 reports of dog attacks on other animals and that 388 attacks on people were reported within that same timeframe.
Dogs Trust Ireland also reported this week that a total of 320 people were hospitalised as a result of dog bites in 2020, and claimed it feared the figure may rise with the recent increase in dog ownership. The figure for those hospitalised does not include statistics for those who attended Emergency Room or GP visits for dog bite injuries.
INCREASE IN RESTRICTED BREEDS
Locally, dog warden, Nuala McNamara claimed that a huge increase in restricted breeds has been noted in the Fermoy area and states that owners should be properly informed on the law relating to such breeds.
“You must be over 16 to walk a restricted breed and the lead has to be just under 2 metres in length. You have to use a different lead to the ordinary domestic dog,” she said.
Restricted breeds must be muzzled whenever they are in a public place, and the offence of walking such a breed without a muzzle carries a €100 fine.
These breeds must also wear a collar bearing the name and address of the owner at all times.
“There is an awful lot of fear out there. The whole situation is frightening with the number of unmuzzled restricted breeds and with people flouting the law with dogs. I see dog bites first hand every single week, from a child being nipped to a savage attack. People need to be more careful with their dogs,” Nuala added.
The restricted breeds list currently includes the American pit bull terrier, the English bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, bull mastiff, Dobermann Pinscher, German Shepard (Alsation), Rhodesian ridgeback, Rottweiler, Japanese Akita, Japanese Tosa and Bandog, along with other strains and cross-breeds of the aforementioned.
Dog wardens in the Fermoy area were also carrying out spot checks for dog fouling this week, which carries a €150 fine.
BE DOG SAFE WEEK
Launched this week by Dogs Trust Ireland, ‘Be Dog Safe Week’ is aimed at helping to keep people safe around dogs, whether in the home or out and about.
Further figures released by the charity revealed that 64% of people hospitalised by dog bites in 2020 were over the age of 20.
To highlight the importance of interacting safely with dogs, the charity is encouraging the public to visit DogsTrust.ie/BeDogSafe to find free resources, videos and guides on being safe around dogs and information about signing up for free Be Dog Safe workshops.