Q. My neighbour’s dog is constantly barking. What can the Council do about it?

A. You should first let your neighbour know, in a good-neighbourly manner, how his dog’s barking affects you. Your neighbour may not have realised what was happening. If this is not successful, you may make a complaint to the Dog Warden.

The Dog Warden will visit your neighbour and check that he has complied with all legislative requirements regarding his dog i.e. that the dog is licenced, kept under control and wears a collar and tag with the owner’s name and address clearly written on it. He will also explain that the dog’s barking is causing annoyance to his neighbours and advise him on responsible dog ownership.

If the problem persists, the Dog Warden has no power to take any further action. However, you can make a complaint to the District Court. You must serve notice on your neighbour of your intention to make such a complaint, using the prescribed form, within seven days in advance of the date of the Court sitting. The Court may make an order requiring your neighbour to:

  1.  prevent his dog from causing a nuisance by exercising due control over the dog
  2.  limit the number of dogs kept by him for a specified period
  3.  surrender the dog to the Dog Warden as an unwanted dog.

 

Q. Why are there laws for dogs?

A. There are no laws for dogs, there are laws for DOG OWNERS. This is because dogs, particularly large dogs, represent a potential danger to pedestrians, motorists and livestock if they are not kept under control at all times. Dogs that are not kept under proper control may also cause nuisance and annoyance by damaging neighbours’ property, defecating on neighbours’ property, or by excessive barking.

All dog owners have a responsibility to ensure that their dog is properly cared for and that they are not a nuisance or a danger to their neighbours or other members of the public.

 

Q. What does effectual control of your dog mean?

A. This means that you have complete control over your dog’s movements. In general, this can only be guaranteed by keeping your dog on a lead. If your dog is a Rottweiler or a Rottweiler crossbreed, or a purebred or crossbred dog belonging to one of the breeds listed below, effectual control means that the lead must be a strong lead no more than 2 metres in length and that your dog is also securely muzzled.

 

Q. Why do I need a dog licence?

A. A dog licence is evidence of your legal entitlement to keep a dog. The funds raised from dog licences go towards providing a dog warden service for the collection of stray and unwanted dogs and the investigation of dog related complaints, and a dog pound for the housing and care of stray and unwanted dogs in each local authority area in the country.

The current charge for a dog licence is €20 if you purchase it annually or €140 if you buy a lifetime dog licence. Annual and lifetime dog licences may be purchased from the Post Office or or from www.licences.ie . General dog licences may only be purchased from your local authority. General dog licences are available for people who keep more than 20 dogs at a premises.

Licences will not be available from any Council cash desk in future.

 

Q. My dog is microchipped, why does my dog need a collar and tag with my name and address on it?

A. Microchips may only be read by a person with a microchip scanner. The scanner will only detect the microchip number. That number must then be sent to a microchip database keeper, who will hopefully have your correct contact details and will notify these details to the person who scanned the dog. If your dog strays but has your name and address (or telephone number) on or attached to its collar, the person who finds it will know immediately who your dog belongs to and can return it directly to you.

 

Q. My dog is microchipped, why does it need to be registered on an approved database?

A. The information on the microchip consists only of a 15 digit number. This number must be linked to the contact details of the owner, on a microchip database. To ensure that the database only registers approved microchips and maintains and updates owner information in a secure, accurate and effective manner and that it can make this information available as necessary, the microchip database must be approved by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. When your dog is registered on an approved database, you will receive a certificate of registration confirming this. This certificate must be produced on request from an authorized officer e.g. a Dog Warden.

 

Q. Why should I clean up after my dog?

A. Dog faeces is foul-smelling, unsightly and is a potential source of serious disease, particularly for children. Dog faeces is a particular nuisance on footpaths, in parks, playgrounds and in school playing areas where it is likely to be stepped on by pedestrians, or rolled on by cyclists or wheelchair users, or handled by small children playing in the area. You are required by law to collect any faeces that your dog deposits in a public place and dispose of it in a sanitary manner. Many local authorities now provide bags and bins specifically for dog faeces in parks and playing areas.

 

Q. What are the listed breeds?

A. These are a list of breeds of dogs that are considered to be potentially more dangerous to people than other breeds of dog. It is not that these dogs are more likely to attack or bite a person than any other breed, but that if they do, the damage that they can inflict is much more serious.

All dog owners owning purebred or crossbred dogs belonging to the breeds listed below must ensure that these dogs are securely muzzled and on a strong leash not more than 2 metres in length when in a public place:

  • American Pit Bull Terrier
  • Bull Mastiff
  • Doberman Pinscher
  • English Bull Terrier
  • German Shepherd ( Alsatian)
  • Japanese Akita
  • Japanese Tosa
  • Rhodesian Ridgeback
  • Rottweiler
  • Staffordshire Bull Terrier
  • Every dog of the type known as a Bandog

 

Q. What should I do if I find a stray dog?

A. Any person who finds and takes possession of a stray dog must:

  1. Return the dog to its owner
  2. Deliver the dog to a Dog Warden
  3. Detain the dog and give notice in writing containing a description of the dog, the address where it was found and the address of the place where it is detained to the member in charge at the nearest Garda Station to the place where the dog was found, or to the Dog Warden.

 

Q. What should I do if my dog goes missing?

A. You should firstly check with your neighbours to see if they have seen your dog or know where it might be. If this is unsuccessful, you should contact your local Garda station and your local authority dog warden and your local authority dog pound. Many local authority websites now have pictures of the dogs currently in their dog pound uploaded to the website. If you live near the border of a local authority area, you should also contact the dog wardens and dog pounds in the neighbouring local authority areas.

 

Q. Why do dogs attack cattle and sheep?

A. Dogs will chase any animal that runs away from them. It is a natural instinct. Modern farming methods have resulted in less interaction between humans, dogs and livestock. Livestock are now more likely to run away from people and dogs because they are strange to them. A barking dog will frighten livestock and increase the likelihood of them running away. By chasing livestock, dogs are likely to cause the animals to be injured on barbed wire fencing or to get stuck in drains, or even drowned in rivers. Chasing pregnant animals can cause abortions, stillbirths and other difficulties at birth. Animals that have been chased, particularly where it happens repeatedly, suffer from stress and will not feed or thrive properly. Where a dog corners an animal, it will attack the animal by biting it. This often results in serious injuries and, in the case of sheep, frequently causes the death of the animal.

 

Q. What are the key laws that must be observed when owning a dog?

A. Key rules

  • All dog owners must keep their dogs under effectual control in public places – this generally means keeping your dog on a lead when in a public place.
  • All dog owners must have a licence for each dog in their possession or a general dog licence to cover all dogs in their possession – you can purchase a dog licence from the Post Office or from your local authority.
  • All dog owners must ensure that every dog under their control shall at all times wear a collar bearing the name and address of the owner and that the name and address are legible
  • All dog owners must ensure that each of their dogs is microchipped and registered on an approved database
  • All dog owners owning purebred or crossbred dogs belonging to certain breeds e.g Rottweilers, Bull Terriers, German Shepherds etc, must ensure that these dogs are securely muzzled and on a strong leash not more than 2 metres in length when in a public place. See the full list of breeds below.
  • All dog owners must collect and properly dispose of faeces deposited by their dog in a public place.

 

Q. Why should I neuter my dog?

A. Where a dog is not intended for breeding, neutering provides benefits not only for the dog itself, but also for society. This is because it stops bitches having unwanted litters of pups, which the bitch’s owners may have difficulty finding good homes for, and which may then grow up not being properly cared for, not being kept under control, and posing a risk to the public and livestock. Neutering helps to control the dog population, resulting in fewer unwanted and fewer abandoned dogs.

 

Q. What is a Dog Breeding Establishment (DBE)?

A. This is an establishment at which 6 or more bitches, over the age of 6 months and capable of breeding, are kept. All bitches are counted, whether they are used for breeding or not. DBE’s include dog rescue centres, boarding kennels, hunt kennels, as well as puppy farms. These establishments must register with their local authority and comply with the requirements of the Dog Breeding Establishments Act, 2010. They must display their certificate of registration in a prominent place at their establishment. Only local authority dog pounds and premises registered as greyhound breeding establishments are exempt.

To make a complaint:

  1.  Download and/or print off the prescribed form below.
  2.  Bring the form to the District Court Office.
  3.  Complete the form with the assistance of District Court staff.
  4.  Pay the appropriate fee (€20 as of April 2010)
  5.  Have the form stamped by District Court staff and get a declaration of service form from the staff.
  6.  Serve copy of stamped form on the occupier of the premises at which the dog is kept.
  7.  Complete declaration of service form.
  8.  Have the form signed by a Peace Commissioner (Contact Gardaí to find your nearest Peace Commissioner)
  9.  Attend the District Court with both documents and details of your evidence i.e. dates and times of incidents of barking, length of time the barking lasted, etc

Dog Complaint Form (PDF)

The District Court may be contacted at the following address and Telephone No. 047 81417 / 047 82931.

The District Court Clerk, District Court Office, The Courthouse, Monaghan.