XL bully dog put down after attacking owner

Armed gardaí alerted to incident where man was hospitalised for injuries

05/05/2017 NEWS/STOCK/GARDA
 A Garda  Armed Support Garda Car.
Photograph: Cyril Byrne / THE IRISH TIMES
The dog was restrained and transferred to the custody of Dublin City Council’s dog warden where he was put down. Photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times

An XL bully dog has been put down after it attacked its owner last weekend.

Armed gardaí were alerted to an incident on Ballyshannon Road in north Dublin on Sunday morning.

The man received a number of injuries following a dog attack.

The dog was restrained and transferred to the custody of Dublin City Council’s dog warden where he was put down.

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It is the latest incident involving a dog type that will be subject to stringent new regulations from the beginning of next month. From October 1st new regulations will prohibit the importing, breeding, selling and rehoming of XL bullies.

From February 1st next year, it will be illegal to own an XL bully without a Certificate of Exemption and that certificate will only be granted to dogs which are licensed, microchipped and neutered.

In August a 12-month-old girl was seriously injured having been attacked by an XL bully dog in Lixnaw village in Co Kerry. The child was treated for her wounds in Cork University Hospital.

In June, Nicole Morey (23), from Limerick city, was killed by her dogs, one of which was an XL bully, when she returned to her home in Fedamore following a night out.

Another high-profile attack involved Alejandro Mizsan, a then 10-year-old boy from Co Wexford, who was left with serious facial injuries in 2022.

In July, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys set out her plans to outlaw the breed.

“I know a lot of people will not agree with this decision. I’m a dog owner myself and I know people love their dogs,” she said.

“We must be mindful, however, that no dog’s life is worth more than human life. Ultimately that is what guided me in making this decision.”

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy

Ronan McGreevy is a news reporter with The Irish Times