Corporation to ban dangerous dogs

Dublin Corporation is to ban certain potentially dangerous dogs from local authority housing following a recent attack on a six-year-old boy in the inner city.

Stephen Power, of Hardwicke Street flats complex, received 160 stitches to his face during a lengthy operation at Temple Street Children's Hospital after two dogs owned by a neighbour attacked him. The dogs were put down after the incident.

The assistant city manager, Mr Philip McGrath, has confirmed the ban in an interview to be broadcast on the RTE television programme Beastly Behaviour next Sunday. The corporation is to write to all its tenants and to all residents' associations pointing out that it is prohibiting the keeping of these dogs.

Dogs to which the current control of dogs regulations apply include: American pit bull terrier; bulldog; bull mastiff; Dobermann pinscher; English bull terrier; German shepherd; Japanese akita; Japanese tosa; Rhodesian ridgeback; Rottweiler; Staffordshire bull terrier; and every other strain or cross of these breeds.

"We will be asking that such dogs be reported to the corporation and we'll be telling the owners they'll have to get rid of the dogs. If they don't, we may serve notice to quit and go to court to recover the tenancy of the dwelling", Mr McGrath said.

The keeping of such dogs represented an unacceptable risk to both children and adults, he said. Currently regulations require that such breeds be muzzled.