Donegal County Council is to receive funding in order to hire an additional dog warden.
The Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, today confirmed €2 million would be made available for local authorities to support the resourcing of warden services from 2025.
The funding recognises the increased demands in the area of dog control and the need to ensure resources on the ground to enforce the pending ban on XL Bully dogs.
Last week, Donegal Daily revealed more than one dog attack is reported weekly in the county.
The council’s dog warden service received 15 calls about dog attacks in the first three months of 2024.
The county 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 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.
Announcing the funding today, Minister Humphreys said public safety is her number one priority.
“This funding will help each local authority to ensure they have the necessary number of dog wardens in place,” she stressed.
“The measures banning the import, sale and breeding of XL Bullies will be in place very shortly. This funding will help ensure that these new measures are enforced on the ground.
“I have already trebled the fines for a range of offences. Whether it’s in our towns, villages or cities, there should be zero tolerance for people who do not keep their dogs under proper control in public spaces. I’ve asked Local Authorities to begin the process of increasing the number of dog wardens as soon as possible.”
The latest announcement, Minister Humphreys added, builds on previous funding from the Department of Rural and Community Development to improve local authority dog pound facilities.
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