Councillor Wants Dublin Dogs Ban In Wales

Following the ill-conceived and illegal ban on so-called dangerous dog breeds owned by council house residents in Dublin, it was perhaps only a matter before a politician on the UK mainland would call for a similar ban..

This dubious honour goes to Mawr councillor Ioan Richard who wants Swansea City and County Council to follow the lead of Dublin City Council and ban 10 breeds of dog from council-owned property.

Independent Councillor Richard raised the possibility with the council's legal team and was told that it would be impossible to do under current UK legislation.

However, Cllr Richard was not to be dissuaded and was 'keen' to see a ban enacted and called upon the Welsh Assembly to act and change the law to allow Welsh councils to implement such breed specific bans, by using secondary legislation.

Quoted in the local press, Cllr Richard said:

'We regularly hear about young children being savaged by these types of dogs like pit bulls. People do not really need to keep these types of dog and I think this policy is something that should be seriously considered.

'The council's legal team has told me that we cannot do it. But the Assembly now has powers to make secondary legislation and I think they should start to use them.

'They should be looking at doing the small things first and things that can make a real difference to the people of Wales.'

Dogs banned in Dublin include American Pit Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Dobermans, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Japanese Akitas and Japanese Tosas.

Cllr Richard's remarks caused outrage amongst dog owners not just in Swansea, but also around the world. The Kennel Club, (KC) condemned his remarks and said that they would be writing to Cllr Richard, Swansea Council and also to the Welsh Assembly to point out that Breed Specific Legislation, (BSL) does not work.

A KC spokesperson said:

"This is a very worrying development but we hope that good sense will prevail. We are writing to the councillor and will be staying in contact with the Welsh Assembly on the matter."

Asked in OUR DOGS newspaper whether his calls for council tenants to be deprived of their dogs could be seen as discrimination, Cllr Richard replied:

"Hmm, yes, I suppose it could be, but it's something we should consider in the light of dog attacks on children."

But as the dog attacks to which the Councillor referred were isolated incidents, was the approach of a wholesale ban unfair and an insult to the vast majority of responsible dog owners?

"Unfortunately yes, but I feel the over-caution is necessary," said Cllr Richard. "Children have been savaged, and that's not right. I've been out delivering leaflets and some of these dogs I've seen have been quite terrifying. People can be attacked at these dogs' homes."

It was put to Cllr Richard that rather than call for a total ban on different breeds, why not use the existing laws to punish irresponsible dog owners who allowed their dogs to attack people? The 1871 Dogs Act allows for prosecution for dog attacks on private premises. However the Councillor claimed ignorance of this law.

The Councillor added:

"I've owned a Rhodesian Ridgeback and he was a lovely soft dog, but I was brought up on a farm and animals can turn. On my grandfather's farm a horse killed one of the men who worked there."

But no one at the time suggested bringing in a law to ban horses?

"Well no, of course not. But I don't want to see an immediate ban on dogs. It should be phased in over a period of time. People get very attached to these things, but there is a dog problem in my opinion.

Published on UKPets with thanks to OUR DOGS.