Athlone man’s ‘relief’ at XL bully ban

It's over a year and a half since Seamus Byrne's beloved pet dog was viciously mauled and killed by two other dogs in a traumatic daytime attack at Burgess Park in Athlone. Seamus said the incident is still on his mind on a regular basis.

“It obviously eases after a while, but there is not a day goes by that I don't think of it or don't recall it,” he told the Westmeath Independent.

The Coosan resident welcomed last Friday's announcement by the Government that it is banning the XL bully type of dogs.

From October 1, new regulations are due to prevent the importing, breeding, selling and re-homing of XL bullies, and from February it will be illegal to own one of these dogs unless a ‘certificate of exemption' has been granted.

In Seamus Byrne's case, the two dogs that ended the life of his nine-year-old Collie cross, Dustin, were put down when an application for their destruction was approved after a hearing in Athlone District Court four days on from the attack.

Seamus had been taking Dustin for a walk when the incident happened, in November 2022, and he has not gotten another dog since.

“I'll be perfectly frank with you, I would be afraid to bring a dog out walking,” he said.

“I'd love to have a dog, but I'd be afraid to bring the dog out walking. I just wouldn't be comfortable at all.

“It disturbs me as well, because I regularly see XL bullies, and other restricted breeds, being walked without muzzles, and sometimes without leads.

“You see them all over (Athlone). You can see them in Church Street – you can see them anywhere.”

The two dogs which attacked Seamus's dog were described as American Bulldogs.

There is a degree of uncertainty about what exactly constitutes an XL bully, but Seamus said his understanding was that the American Bulldog would come under the XL bully designation.

The local man pointed out that, as awful as it had been for him to lose his pet, there had since been a number of incidents in which people had come under attack.

These included last month's tragedy in Ballyneety, Limerick, which resulted in the death of Nicole Morey (23) after she was attacked by an XL bully.

Seamus said he fully supported the ban on these dogs which was announced by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys.

“This is a tried and tested method. To be fair, we've looked at what they did in the UK, and we seem to have adapted the same measures, so you can tell that it has a fairly high chance of success,” he said.

“It's very much a relief to me personally, and something that's to be welcomed for the country as a whole.”

Seamus expressed his gratitude to the local councillors who had been in contact with him and offered their support after the incident with his dog, mentioning Cllr John Dolan in particular.

A report earlier this year stated that Westmeath County Council was one of just five local authorities that failed to issue any fines in recent years to owners of restricted breeds that were found unmuzzled or without a leash.

“There's only five councils in the country that haven't issued a fine. Westmeath is among them, and I would like to ask the elected councillors why that is,” said Seamus.

He also pointed out that an allocation of €57,000 for a ‘Dog Control Support Initiative' had been announced for Westmeath County Council by Minister Heather Humphreys last November.

“I'd like to know how that money was spent in county Westmeath, or what happened to it,” said Seamus.

The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA), meanwhile, expressed concern about the Government's XL bully ban.

“This change in legislation is deeply worrying for responsible dog owners who already comply with the legislation,” said the ISPCA in a statement.

“A change in legislation would also make it illegal for animal charities like the ISPCA to rehome any banned dog breeds.

“The ISPCA have a total of 211 dogs in their care currently waiting for responsible new homes. Of those, 68 dogs are restricted breeds with 28 potentially falling under the definition of an XL bully.”

However, local Fine Gael councillor John Dolan welcomed the ban, saying he had previously been in contact with Minister Humphreys about this issue.

“The good thing that's going to come out of it is increased resources to help councils around the country to deal with this issue,” said Cllr Dolan.

“There are very dangerous dogs that are being kept in estates, and other areas, and are being brought around with no muzzles on them.

“My view is that a lot of these dogs shouldn't be allowed, full stop. I think they're too dangerous.”

He added that the fact Westmeath only had one dog warden for the whole county at present was totally inadequate.