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Minister Canney urges interested parties to make submissions to public consultation relating to the control of dogs in Ireland

Mr Seán Canney TD, the Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development, has today (Friday, 9th August) reminded interested parties of the importance of making submissions to a public consultation process relating to the control of dogs in Ireland.

The Department of Rural and Community Development has legislative responsibility for the area of Dog Control in Ireland. Certain aspects of this legislation have been in place for a significant number of years and it is now being reviewed to see if changes are required.

For example, a Statutory Instrument (S.I. No. 442/1998) which requires extra controls for a list of specific breeds has been in place since 1998, and some parties have indicated that this breed specific approach requires a change.

The Department is now reviewing this area to ensure improvements are made where appropriate and to ensure an appropriate approach is in place for the effective control of dogs in Ireland.  This approach may or may not be breed specific.   

Minister Canney added:

This consultation process will close on 6 September 2019. The consultation document poses a series of 10 questions and I would like to remind all interested parties to make a submission before the closing date.

The consultation paper is available here, or by visiting the consultation section of Gov.ie. Printed copies can be requested from dogsconsultation@drcd.gov.ie or by calling (076)100 6936.

Interested parties are invited to make written submissions by email to dogsconsultation@drcd.gov.ie by 5.30pm on 6 September 2019. Submissions may also be posted to the Dog Control Unit, Department of Rural and Community Development, Government Buildings, Ballina, Co. Mayo. F26 E8N6.

Note to Editors:

  • Seán Canney TD is the Minister of State at the Department of Rural and Community Development with special responsibility for Dog Control. Responsibility for the Control of Dogs Acts and the Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 (S.I. No. 442/1998) rests with his Department. This Statutory Instrument is available here.
  • The consultation opened on 1 July 2019 and will close on Friday 6 September 2019.
  • The consultation document can be found here.