Dublin City Council says dog seizures will increase as it steps up animal enforcement

DUBLIN CITY COUNCIL are to increase dog seizures by introducing more animal wardens are to the city, as almost 150 dogs were taken into the authority’s care in the second half of last year.

Latest figures from the Council show that only half of the dogs taken into the city’s pounds in the last six months of 2023 were rehomed. The remainder of dogs were put to sleep, kept in the authority’s kennels or returned to their owners.

Labour councillor Dermot Lacey said the capital’s dog wardens need more powers to prosecute offences. He added that the appointment of additional officers was welcome.

Dublin City Council moved to introduce more animal wardens last year and opened applications for the positions in late 2023.

The majority of these dogs were classified as strays by wardens.

Of the 148 dogs, just 74 were rehomed, while the rest were either kept in the Council’s kennels, returned to their owner or put to sleep. Just over a quarter (39) of the dogs which were taken into the Council’s care were a restricted breed.

Many variations of Pitbull, some of which are restricted in Ireland, German and Belgian Shepherds and Bulldogs remain in city’s kennels waiting to be rehomed.

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As of 1 February, the Council has contracted 20 more third-party shelter places in order to increase the number of dogs it can hold at one time in the Northside of the City, bringing the total capacity to 45.

The Council’s Chief Executive, Richard Shakespeare, said the new dog warden positions will increase the capacity of the Council’s Animal Control & Welfare Services for wider enforcement of the Control of Dogs Act 1986, “including dog seizures”.

Lacey, who requested the information from the Council, told The Journal: “I welcome the additional staff and the additional recruitment.”

However, Lacey has called on the city to implement plans, proposed by his party, to mandate “community wardens” with the current powers of dog and litter wardens.

He suggested that, under the current arrangements, Dublin City Council are “siloing the dog wardens into a narrow area” and said he believes dog wardens need to receive “greater power to fine people”.

“I think the level of evidence that the dog wardens are required to get, makes it very hard to prosecute. I think we need to make [dog abandonment] easier to prosecute,” he added. 

Animal welfare charity, Dogs Trust, said last month that it was struggling to cope with the influx of dogs, of all ages, entering its care after it recieved over 400 post-Christmas surrender requests in January.

Sandra Ruddell, the assistant manager at Dogs Trust Ireland, said: “We know there is very little rescue space available at the moment by the sheer volume of dogs we are being asked to take in, but we are begging people not to abandon their dogs, especially young puppies who have very little chance of survival if not discovered quickly.”

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