Owners of restricted dog breeds were given a reprieve today by Dublin City Council under a new scheme aimed at promoting responsible dog ownership.
As part of the scheme, Dogs Trust Ireland is offering to neuter, spay and micro-chip dogs which fall under the 10 restricted breeds list banned from City Council housing since July last year.
Senior executive officer of the Housing and Residential Services department, Vincent Healy said the council acknowledged that a number of tenants were responsible dog owners and therefore would be allowed to keep their dogs provided they agreed to have them micro-chipped and neutered or spayed.
However, tenants who persist in illegally keeping restricted breeds could face eviction.
Dogs Trust Ireland has arranged with a number of veterinary practices around Dublin to carry out the service at no cost to the City Council. Campaigns Manager Brenda Comerford said that while the charity does not support breed specific legislation, it does encourage owners of all breeds to manage their dogs responsibly.
Under the charity's subsidised neutering campaign, over 26,000 dogs have been neutered in Ireland over the past two and half years. A €20 dog neutering service is offered to owners on means tested benefit through a participating network of around 360 vets.
Under the new scheme in Dublin, tenants can keep a restricted breed dog provided their tenancy began before July 1st, 2007 and they owned the dog before this date. The dog must be licensed, neutered/spayed and micro-chipped by September 2008 and kept muzzled and on a lead in public places.
The scheme is open to owners of all pet dogs and not just to restricted breeds.
The restricted breeds are the American Pit Bull Terrier; Bull Mastiff; Doberman Pinscher; English Bull Terrier; German Shepherd (Alsatian); Japanese Akita; Japanese Tosa; Rhodesian Ridgeback; Rottweiler and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.