Dublin People - Dog owners vow to fight breed ban

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Dog owners vow to fight breed ban

Tuesday, 16 September 2008

NORTHSIDE dog owners have vowed to continue their fight against new restrictions on dog ownership being introduced by Dublin City Council.
The newly formed Deed Not Breed group staged a protest outside the city council’s offices last Thursday week and say they are receiving phone calls every day from worried dog owners.
Deed Not Breed member Lilian Colgan, from Artane, has owned pit bulls for 21 years. She is campaigning to highlight her message that responsible ownership rather than the breed of dog is the real concern.
“We have been getting calls every day of the week from people in council estates who don’t want to lose their pets,” Ms Colgan told Northside People.
“This only affects people living in council properties so I feel that it’s totally unfair; someone who owns their house is allowed more rights to a pet than we are.”
Ms Colgan maintains that it’s irresponsible owners of these so called dangerous breeds that are to blame for the ban,
“But they are the ones who will disregard it,” she stated.
“Meanwhile, law abiding dog lovers like myself will be made to suffer.”
Under the new council rules, which come into effect on September 30, city council tenants who own certain dogs must have them neutered or spayed and micro-chipped.
Ten breeds have been highlighted under the new rules, including German Shepherds, bull mastiffs and Japanese tosas.
Ms Colgan believes that the new rules are unenforceable and vowed that her group will continue to fight against what they see as a great injustice.
“We will be starting a website soon to keep people updated on the situation and advise how best to fight this,” she declared.
“We will also be staging another protest outside the city council’s building on Fishamble Street on the first Monday in October.
“Pressure has to be put on the city council to revoke this law; we already have the backing of a number of local councillors.”
Ms Colgan warned that they would be making it an issue at next summer’s local elections.
“As there are dog owners and dog lovers all across the city, we think it would be a bad idea for any candidate looking to get elected to take a position opposing us,” she added.
A senior executive officer with Dublin City Council’s housing and residential services department, outlined the consequences for those who fail to comply with the new plans.
“We acknowledge that a number of our tenants are responsible dog owners and have built up a relationship with one of these breeds, and would understandably be upset if they had to give their dog away or have it put down,” he stated.
“We are happy to allow them to keep their dogs provided they agree to have them micro-chipped and neutered or spayed.
“Where tenants persist in illegally keeping one of the 10 restricted breeds of dog in their home, the council will consider such action to be in breach of tenancy, will issue a notice to quit, and this could ultimately lead to eviction.”

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