The rise in attacks on people by ‘stray’ dogs is prompting a call for a safety campaign for owners

It comes as a farmer said dogs shouldn’t be able to “walk around where they want” after losing 20 ewes to being bitten to death by a dog.

numbers provided Irish Independent show that while attacks on humans and other dogs have increased, attacks on livestock have decreased slightly. Still, a recent spate of deadly attacks on sheep has led farmers to call for tougher sanctions for “irresponsible” keepers after stray dogs killed dozens of sheep in rural areas.

Farmer Stephen Ryan of King’s Yard, Co. Limerick, lost his 20 ewes in the Christmas attack.

He said there needed to be stronger enforcement of the laws currently in place.

According to the Dog Tax Act, owners of stray dogs can be fined up to 2,500 euros and imprisoned for up to three months.

Mr Ryan, who owns farmland near Newcastle, Co. Tipperary, said he had reported the incident to Gardaí but had not been informed of the findings of the inquiry.

A Garda spokesman confirmed that investigations are ongoing.

“She [the ewes] were in lamb at the time and would have been worth around €150 each, but some were worth more,” Ryan said.

The mountain sheep farmer lives near Galtymore, the highest peak in the Galtee Mountains, a popular area for hikers.

Mr Ryan said he and his wife put up signs asking people not to bring dogs due to the many sheep in the area.

“The dogs should stay at home, they shouldn’t be allowed to roam where they want.” Two weeks ago, his neighbor Michael Coyne also had a number of sheep that were ransacked by a dog.

He lost 27 hoggets (lambs) after an Alsatian attacked the flock. The dog was later shot in a common area by another neighbor who was trying to protect his animals.

“Gardaí is investigating an incident in Newcastle, Co. Tipperary on April 26, 2022 where several sheep were attacked,” said a Gardaí spokesman. “The investigation is ongoing.”

Mr. Coyne said that Irish Independent In the last 30 years there have been 11 dog attacks on his animals.

“In 2018 I had 34 lambs killed. The biggest thing is that people don’t take responsibility for their dogs,” he said.

“In the recent attack we lost 27 worth about €4,000 but there were more casualties due to the stress of what happened. They were attacked by a wolf-sized shepherd.”

Since 2016, Gardaí have received reports of 1,351 attacks on livestock.

The past two years have seen a decline, with 164 reported in 2021 compared to 250 in 2016.

However, the number of attacks on people has increased, with 1,705 reported between 2016 and 2021.

There were 250 attacks in 2016, 253 in 2017, 294 in 2018, 302 in 2019, 277 in 2020 and 329 in 2021.

There has also been a slight increase in attacks on other dogs, with 181 reported in 2021 compared to 140 in 2016.

A total of 4,009 attacks on livestock, dogs and humans were reported. Compared to the population and the number of licensed dog owners, the number of attacks is relatively small.

The latest figures from the Department for Rural and Community Development show that 200,000 individual dog licenses were issued in 2020.

However, the actual number of dog owners is likely to be higher because not all dogs are registered.

Dog charities say there has been an increase in ownership during the pandemic as people worked from home and sought companionship during the lockdown.

They urge pet owners to take precautions when bringing their animals out in public.

Dogs Trust Ireland recently launched a ‘Be Dog Safe’ campaign after it was revealed that 320 people were hospitalized due to dog bites in 2020.

“We are concerned that this number could rise with the recent increase in dog ownership,” said a Dogs Trust spokesman.

While most attacks are reported to gardaí, some county councils also register incidents involving dogs.

Hundreds of dog attacks are reported to local authorities each year, affecting a range of breeds – including those not on the restricted breeds list.

In Ireland, legislation introduced in 1998 imposed restrictions on 11 different dog breeds, including Rottweilers, German Shepherds (Alsatians), English Bull Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Bullmastiffs, Doberman Pinschers, Rhodesian Ridgebacks and any dogs that are a crossbreed of any of those on the list .

Restrictions include that the animals must be muzzled in public and held on a strong leash by a person over the age of 16.

Attacks on humans recorded in the past five years have involved unspecified breeds, Terrier, German Shepherd, Jack Russell, Collie, Bull Mastiff, Labrador, Greyhound and American Pitbull.