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An XL Bully currently in the care of the ISPCA. ISPCA

ISPCA concerned over dog abandonment with new legislation banning XL Bully dogs

The animal welfare charity currently has 68 dogs that are restricted breeds in its care.

ANIMAL PROTECTION CHARITY ISPCA has raised its concerns following the announcement of a government plan to ban XL Bully dogs in Ireland.

On Friday, Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys announced that from October, it will be illegal to breed, import, sell, or rehome the breed. 

This means that there can be no new owners of XL Bully dogs from October. Then, from 1 Friday 2025, it will be illegal to own an XL Bully unless the owner has a Certificate of Exemption, which ensures that a dog has a license and is microchipped and neutered. 

The move follows a number of incidents involving attacks by XL Bully dogs, including the death of Limerick woman Nicole Morey by her own dog last month

The ISPCA highlighted its concerns regarding the new legislation. It said that the change in legislation is “deeply worrying” for dog owners who already comply with the legislation, but the change in legislation would make it illegal for animal charities such as the ISPCA to rehome any banned dog breeds. 

It said that the charity currently has 211 dogs in its care waiting to be rehomed. Of those, 68 dogs are restricted breeds with 28 “potentially falling under the definition of an XL Bully”.

CEO of the ISPCA, Dr Cyril Sullivan, said that the solution to the issue was “much more complex” than banning the breed.

“The ISPCA can’t turn our back on any dog that needs to be rescued, regardless of its breed, and confining a dog to a kennel environment for the rest of its life, or euthanising a healthy dog, is just not an option,” he said.

The ISPCA said it is calling on the minister to ensure that enforcement of the current dog control legislation is adequately resourced. 

It outlined that there is a risk of dog abandonment of the breed following a ban. 

Humphreys has established a working group on the implementation of the ban, on which Sullivan has been appointed.

In the North, the first of new laws around XL Bully dogs came into force two weeks ago. The laws in the North are very similar to those outlined by Humphreys to come into effect in the Republic.

“With the proposed ban, there will be an inevitable reduction in homes available for rehoming, along with reduced kennel space to admit additional rescued dogs into ISPCA care,” a statement from the ISPCA said today.

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    Mute Eddie Garvey
    Favourite Eddie Garvey
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    Jul 15th 2024, 3:17 PM

    While I’m a dog owner myself, banning the breed will eventually filter it out of society, so it will work eventually.

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    Mute lastfewchocices
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    Jul 15th 2024, 3:27 PM

    I don’t agree with this legislation but it’s interesting that the ispca believes that owners will abandon their dogs because of it.
    Surely that’s a suggestion that the majority of xl bully owners don’t really love their pets? If the effort of following the law is too much hassle….

    178
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    Mute socheallaigh
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:46 PM

    @lastfewchocices: That happened in UK so no reason to believe some of the same will happen here

    38
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    Mute Margaret Deacon
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    Jul 15th 2024, 6:52 PM

    @lastfewchocices: I follow a good few rescues on social media, there are a lot of these dogs found abandoned,since UK banned them there is no market for them

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    Mute John Moore
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    Jul 15th 2024, 3:13 PM

    The whole thing is just ill thought out without looking at the consequences. There is no evidence that banning breeds even works. It’s the owners that have to be clamped down on.

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    Mute socheallaigh
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    Jul 15th 2024, 3:16 PM

    @John Moore: Nope, these owners who care nothing for their dogs or the general public need to be weeded out

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    Mute Tom Brennan
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:44 PM

    @John Moore:
    Agreed and you are correct.
    The only thing this will achieve is that the specific breed of the “XL Bully” will over time disappear only to be replaced by the next version (slightly changed of course) that appeals to a certain kind of owners.

    Basically what we see here is politicians scoring easy points and not tackling the actual issue. They should listen to the people who understand the issue (like the ISPCA or similar) and take the professional advice and stop the populist nonsense…  

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    Mute socheallaigh
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:47 PM

    @Tom Brennan: So do nothing then? Use the same legislation again and again as required

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    Mute Tom Brennan
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:54 PM

    @socheallaigh:
    How did you get to “do nothing then?”, from “take the professional advice”?

    No you don’t do nothing, you take advice from people with expericence and knowledge and then take action based on that.

    31
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    Mute Ken Murphy
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    Jul 16th 2024, 2:34 PM

    @Tom Brennan: Any other approach doesn’t work. The breed has to be removed from society & as quickly as possible, while its not the fault of the individual dog, the issue can be with the owner, but this line of dog were originally bred for fighting, they are too powerful and have a very high prey drive. Go to any public park in Dublin where kids play, you will find XL Bullies off leash and unmuzzled. Further attacks & deaths were a certainty if action wasn’t taken.
    If a dog attack happens with a smaller breed the consequences are not as dire, an XL Bully can tear a child apart in seconds. There is absolutely no need for this breed of dog in society.

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    Mute Alex
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    Jul 15th 2024, 3:56 PM

    Well, if you abandon your dog because you can’t be bothered to follow the law then, you do not deserve a dog. Simple right? Leading those dangerous breeds to extinction is a food thing anyway.

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    Mute Ciarán Ó Dálaigh
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    Jul 15th 2024, 3:52 PM

    Unemployed “patriots” out in force again today. All benefits should be permanently removed from these inhumane thugs, whose crimes we are all funding with our tax. Disgusting individuals

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    Mute Hibernicus
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:11 PM

    @Ciarán Ó Dálaigh: Stuck in the middle of it this morning while trying to get a child to hospital. Amazing how a JCB just ‘caught fire’. The unvetted pond life behind these acts have nothing positive to offer our city or society in general. Send in the water canons and let decent people go about their business.

    76
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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:33 PM

    @William Slevin: mass immigration “destroying” our nation? Yeah, doubt that!

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    Mute William Slevin
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:45 PM

    @Alan Kennedy: pretty much yea…I see the purge of my comments have begun again to delete them lol I wonder if the harassment campaign against me is still strong enough to mass false report my comments…then get my account banned yet again…

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    Mute Alan Kennedy
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    Jul 15th 2024, 5:41 PM

    @William Slevin: Well, stop posting tripe!

    21
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    Mute William Slevin
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    Jul 15th 2024, 5:51 PM

    @Alan Kennedy: and let yous spread disinformation and misinformation all you like, like yous had before in your echo chamber that’s no more…not a chance the only tripe post is by you and your ilk…

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    Mute Lewis Armstrong
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    Jul 15th 2024, 8:24 PM

    Abandoned and then just put down surely? Why is this an issue, they should not be kept alive.

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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:14 PM

    Statistically the jack Russell dog is the most dangerous as they always attack the postmen but we need to destroy these big horrible creatures

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    Mute P. V. Aglue
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:31 PM

    @Sean Money: statistically female drivers have more accidents but male drivers accidents cost more.

    39
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    Mute socheallaigh
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    Jul 15th 2024, 4:54 PM

    @Sean Money: There is a much larger population of Jack Russels and other popular breeds so statistically yes, there would be more issues with them.
    I very much doubt they ‘always’ attack postmen though.
    How many of these breeds have killed people, that’s the point of this legislation.

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    Mute Sean Money
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    Jul 15th 2024, 6:51 PM

    @socheallaigh: I do not disagree with you, the devil doga should be culled

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    Mute Laughter andLavender
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    Jul 16th 2024, 12:12 AM

    @Sean Money: the issue is more that a Jack Russell bite isn’t a significant bite, their teeth and jaws aren’t very powerful, so they are terriers, they are aggressive but they don’t wreck havoc, nor do they have ability to give life altering or fatal injuries. Jack Russells can be easily controlled, the same can’t be said for XL Bullies.

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    Mute Helen O'Connor
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    Jul 16th 2024, 1:04 AM

    There are lots more breeds that are not appropriately controlled by their owners

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    Mute Mark Anthony Savage
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    Jul 16th 2024, 11:27 AM

    @Helen O’Connor: I absolutely agree. I’ve never understood the mentality of “it’s an outside Dog” on a Dublin housing estate with a 10mx10m garden. If you’re not walking the thing regularly and taking it in at night get a fecking goldfish.

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    Mute Helen Fjeld
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    Jul 16th 2024, 8:36 AM

    The dog in that photo really isn’t an XL Bully. I can imagine how many dogs will be affected by this as people have no clue.

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    Mute Dominic Leleu
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    Jul 16th 2024, 8:50 AM

    Thugs will just replace by another breed. Owners must be held accountable for all breeds

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    Mute Athena
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    Jul 15th 2024, 9:57 PM

    Please be advised SPCAs in Ireland happily destroy any dog their experts deem unsuitable for homing.

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    Mute Mark Anthony Savage
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    Jul 16th 2024, 11:23 AM

    @Athena: Good.

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    Mute Mark Anthony Savage
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    Jul 16th 2024, 11:24 AM

    As if the vast majority of people that own one of these give a flying feck about the dog or the law. It’s a willy extension.

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    Mute Phillip Smyth
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    Jul 15th 2024, 6:57 PM

    Armchair scrutiny (detectives) not all but some.

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