COUNCILLORS claimed confusion at the motivation behind a motion from Aontú councillor Sarah Beasley at November’s full meeting of Limerick City and County Council (LCCC).
Cllr Beasley moved that communication be made with Ministers responsible for animal welfare for a six-month amnesty for XL Bully dogs surrendered to local animal welfare charities, following the government’s recent ban on the breed. This amnesty, she told Council members, would facilitate rehoming to other countries, such as Italy and Sweden.
Fianna Fáil councillor Michael Collins admitted that he was a bit confused by the City North representative’s motion, asking Cllr Beasley if she is “supporting the bully dogs or if is she trying to delay (the ban) so that somebody else could be hurt or attacked in the meantime?”
The Aontú rep explained that her motion was for the people that work in the animal welfare industry.
Cllr Beasley responded that “we know the XL Bully breed should be banned, which it is” the the move should have been looked at “much better” by the government, describing the ban as a “knee jerk reaction”.
“Not all dogs are nasty. This motion is for the people in the charities, but for the dogs as well. To put down a dog and destroy it just because people have bred it is totally unacceptable,” Cllr Beasley declared.
Cllr Kieran O’Hanlon raised concerns that the impression might go out from the Council chamber that councillors were in favour of this, stating his position that the XL Bully breed “shouldn’t be in any country”.
“For the record, I disagree with this,” Cllr O’Hanlon said.
Cllr Collins told Council members that his concern was that if something happens to another family, Limerick City and County Council could be brought into question.
Social Democrats councillor Shane Hickey O’Mara took the view that the breed would always exist in Ireland, and all the ban would serve to do us make XL Bullys “an underground status symbol”.
“We know what happens when we force things underground. It’s important that people are kept safe but breed specific legislation doesn’t work,” he said.
Fine Gael man Adam Teskey had strong views on the matter, stating that councillors should be “mindful of the fact that someone was brutally killed in our county by one of these dogs”, in reference to the tragic death of 23-year-old Nicole Morey who was savaged by her dogs at her home in Ballyneety this past June.
“I certainly as a Limerick citizen want to see these dogs removed. I want to see them culled, and that’s being straight with you.”
“I have a Golden Retriever. It would lick you to death, it’s a lovely dog. Why can’t people have Golden Retrievers and, like your own dog, Mayor Moran, that would go out there and get you elected mayor?” Cllr Teskey asked
