The Government has spent almost €600,000 on advertising relating to dangerous dogs so far this year, according to newly revealed figures.
The spend comes amid a significant increase in injuries caused by dog attacks around the country and growing concerns about the proliferation of dangerous dog breeds such as the XL bully crossbreed.
To date this year, the Department of Rural and Community Development has run two advertising campaigns costing a total of €578,263.
The first campaign, which ran for five weeks and cost €414,000, encouraged “responsible dog ownership”. It was designed by Javelin, a Dublin-based advertising agency, with the goal of increasing “awareness of the harm that out of control dogs can do to people and to livestock” and to “change behaviour and encourage people to be aware that they must always have their dog under their control.”
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The campaign ran for five weeks from April 20th.
The second campaign related to the Government’s recent decision to ban the breeding and ownership of XL bully crossbreeds.
The campaign, which started on September 23rd and is intended to run until the end of this month, was also designed by Javelin and will cost €164,263. It is described as a “public information campaign on new ownership rules in relation to XL bully type dogs”.
The information was released to Social Democrats TD Catherine Murphy by Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys.
The Government took the decision to ban the XL bully following several dog attacks involving the breed, including in June 2024 when Limerick woman Nicola Morey was attacked and killed by her XL bully dogs.
The ban comprises two stages. At the start of October it became illegal to import, breed or sell an XL bully dog.
From February, 2025 it will become illegal to own the breed, unless the owner obtains an certification of exemption from a local authority. To obtain a certificate, owners must prove their animal is licensed, microchipped and neutered. The breed has already been banned in the UK following multiple attacks there.
The dog is the only banned breed in Ireland, although several other breeds are subject to conditions of ownership.
Last year there were 442 reports of people suffering injures in attacks by aggressive dogs, a 44 per cent increase on 2022, figures from the Department show.
There was also a 75 per cent increase in reports of aggressive dog behaviour, up from 791 to 1,383.
There were 276 dog attacks on livestock last year, a three per cent increase.
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