Donegal County Council’s dog warden service is facing calls for more resources after it was revealed that 15 calls about dog attacks were reported in the first three months of 2024. This equates to more than one report per week.
The dog warden also receives calls relating to stray dogs, barking nuisances and so forth.
A call for greater resources was made by Sinn Féin councillor Terry Crossan, who said that dog warden services should be increased to include weekends and Bank Holidays.
Cllr Crossan told a council meeting yesterday that the dog warden is only contactable between 10.30am and 1.30pm Monday-Friday, but should be funded for more hours and for emergency calls.
The Donegal County Council Dog Warden Service is currently supplied by the ISPCA under contract. Two wardens cover the county on a nine to five, Monday to Friday basis.
Cllr Terry Crossan’s concerns centred on recent dog attacks which occurred outside of operating hours, including an incident in his local area of Muff where a runner was bitten by a Rottweiler.
Citing recent attacks in Donegal, he said that “on each occasion, there was no dog warden available”.
“People then often call gardaí over incidents and they are told you must contact the dog warden and the gardaí actually know there aren’t any available outside of hours,” Cllr Crossan said.
Cllr Crossan added that more information must be given to dog owners about their responsibilities when their pet falls into the restricted breeds category.
“There are people out there with dangerous dogs and aren’t even aware that their animals come under the act in question,” Cllr Crossan said.
“I’m asking that more information is put out there as to what actually constitutes a dangerous dog and I’m asking that more enforcement is in place to ensure that the criteria is carried out “
Cllr Jack Murray, who seconded the motion, said dog owners are still flouting rules in Buncrana and that greater dog warden services are needed to enforce safety around the county.
“In Swan Park, and I thank the council for erecting signs to keep dogs on leads, but people are still flouting those rules and we need a dog warden to come and keep an eye on it,” Cllr Murray said.
“There was a young lad badly hurt in Swan Park. It was actually a Springer Spaniel, but the dog got excited and ran over and knocked him off his bike and badly hurt him.
“Everybody loves dogs and everybody wants to be encouraged to walk their dogs but we want to ensure everything is done safely.
Cllr Murray added: “In the likes of Swan Park, people should keep dogs on a leash but I think it would be a good idea that we look at a dog friendly zone, a fenced off area or green area where people can let their dogs run free. But in the likes of Swan Park, where people might be afraid of dogs, that they are kept on a leash and it’s enforced by a dog warden.”
A spokesperson for Donegal County Council said that the issue of needing more resources has already been raised for all local authorities nationwide. Following the passing of Cllr Crossan’s motion, the local authority will follow up again and write to the Department of Housing, Local Government & Heritage on the matter.
