Armed gardaí shot a pit bull terrier after it injured two people in Cork City last night, Thursday, June 6. It is the latest in a spate of dog attacks that is raising questions about Ireland's restrictions on certain dog breeds and if they should be banned.
An Garda Síochána said that Togher Gardaí and the Armed Response Unit attended a private residence in Ballyphenane, Togher, Cork City last night at 5:20 pm following reports of a pit-bull terrier attacking residents.
A male and female injured by the dog were transported to Cork University Hospital for medical assessment and treatment.
Gardaí engaged with the owner of the dog, and after failed attempts to sedate the animal, it was shot by the Armed Response Unit and euthanized by the vet.
Former Cork City councillor Mick Finn told RTÉ News on Friday that during the incident, a woman was bitten in the arm and leg, a man was bitten in the arm, and a family member was also bitten after he tried to restrain the dog.
Finn said the incident could have been much serious if not for the intervention of the family member.
Thursday's incident occurred just two days after Nicole Morey was killed in a dog attack on June 4 - her 23rd birthday - in Ballinteely, Co Limerick.
Gardaí from the Regional Armed Support Unit attended the incident on Tuesday night and, during the course of making the scene safe, encountered a number of aggressive dogs on the property.
One dog was destroyed and three dogs were restrained by Gardaí. The three dogs were seized by the Dog Warden.
Gardaí said the woman was treated by paramedics and "succumbed to her injuries at the scene."
Just hours before Morey was tragically killed, Gardaí had issued an alert after a boy, 9, was attacked and injured by a dog in Limerick City on May 29.
According to the Limerick Post, Sergeant Ber Leetch, Crime Prevention Officer at Henry Street Garda Station, said: “A dog in the city centre bit a 9-year-old boy last Wednesday, May 29, at 8:30 pm, and the boy had to go to hospital to be treated for facial injuries."
Sergeant Leetch said: “Nobody wants this to happen so be responsible for your dog.
“Protect your dog but also protect any people it may come in contact with.
“You must know your dog and know if they are on the restricted dog breeds list, so look at the Dogs.ie website if you are not sure.
“There are rules that must be followed, restricted breeds of dogs must wear a muzzle in public, be on a short lead, wear a collar with owners’ information on it and the person controlling the dog must be over 16 years of age.
“These rules are in place to protect everybody including the dog."
Currently, no dog breed is banned in Ireland, but there are a number of 'restricted' breeds that are subject to additional rules. The restricted dog breeds in Ireland are American pit bull terrier, English bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, Bull mastiff, Dobermann pinscher, German shepherd (Alsatian), Rhodesian ridgeback, Rottweiler, Japanese akita, Japanese tosa, and Bandog.
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The spate of dog attack incidents comes after Heather Humphreys, Ireland's Minister for Rural and Community, launched a Group on Dog Control, which is being headed up by former Garda assistant commissioner John Twomey.
The group has been tasked with bringing recommendations to Humphreys in terms of strengthening regulations around dog control in Ireland.
Humphreys told the Irish Independent on Wednesday that the Group is looking at a number of issues and that she asked Twomey to "prioritize the issue of restricted breeds that we have in this country."
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