XL dogs face euthanasia with relief until next year – The Irish Times

XL dogs currently in shelters and kennels have been given relief and will not have to be euthanized when the ban comes into force next week.

From October 1, there will be a ban on breeding, purchasing and importing XL bully dogs. The ban on rehoming them has been extended until February 1, when all existing owners will have to apply for an exemption certificate if they want to keep their animals.

The rehoming ban, due to come into effect from next Tuesday, would force dog pounds or shelters to euthanize XL bully dogs they had in their care because they could no longer provide them with foster care or a new home.

Dog pounds and shelters will now be donated until February 1 to rehome XL dogs.

In a statement, the Department of Rural and Community Development, which implements the ban, said it had decided to postpone the ban on changing homes until February 1. Until that date, shelters will also be able to export XL bully dogs.

According to the department, the decision was made “after working with animal welfare charities and shelters.”

Since responsible minister Heather Humphreys announced the ban in July, the government has been lobbied by dog ​​welfare charities following a number of high-profile attacks.

In June, Nicole Morey, 23, from Limerick, was killed by one of her dogs. The animals seriously injured a 10-year-old boy in Wexford and a 12-month-old girl in Co Kerry. Just last week, an XL bully dog ​​was euthanized in Dublin after it attacked its owner, who was taken to hospital.

In a statement yesterday, Thursday, as she signed the order bringing it into force, Ms Humphreys acknowledged that not everyone agreed with the ban, but that she had made it in the interest of public safety.

“I fear that if we do not act now, the number of these dogs in the country will increase and I fear these attacks will become more frequent.”

The government’s announcement of the pardon came just an hour after 22 pre-ban XL dogs were sent from Ireland to Sweden on Thursday.

Brenda Fitzpatrick of Working Animal Guardians (Wag) welcomed the relief and admitted the government had listened to them.

Ms Fitzpatrick said the announcement of the ban last July had left many dog ​​shelter owners “on their knees with depression and anxiety”, knowing they would have to put down healthy dogs from October 1.

However, she said four months may not be enough to ensure that all XL dogs currently in kennels and animal shelters will be rehomed in time, although some will be. She called for the words “rehoming” to be removed from the regulations so that all homeless XL Bully dogs can be rehomed in time.

She emphasized that there is a need for a nationwide training and socialization program for potential dog owners and that “breeding through the back door”, which has become a profitable activity during Covid-19, should be limited.

She said many of the XL bully dogs currently facing extermination were bred during the Covid-19 pandemic and later abandoned.

There is no ban on XL bully dogs in Sweden, but Swedish MP Fredrik Kärrholm announced that he will submit a motion to the Riksdag (parliament) to ban this type of dogs.

Referring to an Irish Times article about dogs being transported to Sweden, he said on Program X: “After several serious dog attacks on children and one death, the XL Bully is banned in Ireland. Now unfortunately these dogs are being sent to naive people in Sweden.

“It’s only a matter of time before this type of dog snatches or kills Swedish children.”