XL bully dogs that find their way into Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council’s dog pound will not benefit from a last-minute reprieve, the council said on Monday night.
Under regulations announced by Minister for Community Development Heather Humphreys last September the importing, breeding, selling and rehoming of XL bully-type dogs has been banned. In addition, from February 1st next it will be illegal to own an XL bully without a certificate of exemption from the owner’s local authority.
Ms Humphreys introduced the changes after Limerick woman Nicole Morey died in an attack by an XL bully at Ballyneety, Co Limerick, in June.
Local authorities will in future euthanise XL bullies which are not claimed by owners holding a valid certificate of exemption.
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However, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown councillors had sought a reprieve, asking the authority not to implement the rules in full or at least until a report on the matter had been presented to council. Fianna Fáil councillor Tom Murphy had asked the council to allow the dogs “if found to be of sound temperament” to be “rehomed or taken on by rescue organisations”.
His colleague Fine Gael councillor Maurice Dockrell went further, asking the council to postpone its policy not to rehome any restricted dog breeds “until a full report is presented to this council producing evidence that restricted breeds are equipped with a unique jaw structure or biting evidence that would differentiate them from other breeds”.
Mr Dockrell said the report should also detail all scientific evidence that certain dogs bite more severely than others and have a greater propensity to bite or inflict injury than other breeds. He further called for evidence on the identification of the breeds, and asked what training decision-makers would receive in the identification process.
However in a written response the council said that following the Limerick attack a decision was taken by its dog control unit that restricted breeds should not be rehomed. The council said since the adoption of the new XL bully regulations “any XL bully that enters the pound before February 1st will be returned to its owner if reclaimed within five days, or put to sleep if not reclaimed”.
The council added that “after February 1st any XL bully that does not have a valid certificate of exemption will be put to sleep”.
The XL bully is a sub-type of American bully dog which has in the past not been strictly defined. The government has now published guidance on the “physical conformation standard” – the legally recognised method of identification of a dog as an XL bully.
It outlines a series of detailed characteristics relating to the dog’s height, head, teeth, neck, forequarters and more that owners should refer to as they seek to determine if their dog is covered by the ban.
The minimum height requirement (from 50cm at the withers for an adult male and from 48cm for an adult female at the withers) is key as if this is not met the dog is not considered to be an XL bully.
The council said it would continue to engage in a responsible dog owners’ campaign and participate in a national awareness campaign to remind dog owners of their responsibilities.
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