Local authorities have reported a sharp increase in recorded attacks on humans by dogs last year with a total of 442 people reporting being physically injured by aggressive dogs.
New figures published by the Department of Rural and Community Development show the number of cases of people suffering injuries in dog attacks in 2023 is up 44% from the 308 incidents recorded the previous year.
The largest number of dog attacks last year in which people were injured, including damage to clothes, was in Dublin City with 63, followed by Cork County (54), Louth (46) and Fingal and Mayo (both 32). Cork City had 14 such reported attacks.
Only two local authority areas – Wicklow and Roscommon – recorded no incidents of people being injured by dogs.
The latest figures also show there was a 75% increase in the number of incidents of aggressive dog behaviour reported to local authorities last year – up from 791 in 2022 to 1,383.
Dublin City was again the location with the greatest number of incidents (301), ahead of Cork County (136). Cork city had 27 incidences of aggressive behaviour.
Roscommon was the only county where no incidents of aggressive dog behaviour were reported.
Growing public concern about dog attacks and dangerous breeds was heightened following the death of Limerick woman, Nicole Morey, 23,on June 4 this year after she was mauled by one of her dogs, an XL bully dog at her home in Ballyneety, Co Limerick.
New regulations introduced following Ms Morey’s death have made it illegal since October 1 to import, breed, sell or re-home XL bully type dogs.
From February 1, 2025, ownership of an XL bully type dog will be banned without a certificate of exemption issued by the local authority in which the dog resides.
In order to obtain the certificate, owners will have to show that the dog is licenced, microchipped and neutered.
The Department of Rural and Community Development said the data had not previously been uniformly collected by dog services operated by local authorities which meant there were “some gaps.”
It pointed out that some injured parties may have reported a dog attack to gardaí or sought medical attention but did not notify local authority dog wardens about the incident.
The department said the figures presented “a snapshot of the situation” relating to dog attacks with improved data quality expected in future years.
It claimed the increase in incidents of aggressive behaviour by dogs reported last year could be linked to increased media coverage of attacks by dogs.
The number of attacks by dogs on livestock also rose by 3% last year with a total of 276 incidents of farm animals being injured by dogs.
It is estimated that over 730 animals were attacked during such incidents with sheep accounting for almost two-thirds of the total with approximately 430 animals being maimed, killed or having to be put down.
The largest number of incidents were reported in Cork County (62), Mayo (34) and Waterford (21).
The department said sheep-worrying and other threats to livestock continue to be a significant concern for farming and rural communities The latest figures show the number of stray dogs placed in pounds last year rose by 10% to 5,546.
However, the figure still remains considerably below the recent peak of more than 9,000 stray dogs recorded in 2016.
A further 1,819 dogs were left at dog pounds by their owners in 2023 – 245 fewer animals than the previous year.
The number of dogs seized by dog wardens last year was down by 40% to 145.
According to the department, a total of 3,737 dogs were either reclaimed or rehomed during 2023 with a further 3,101 transferred to animal welfare groups.
The figures show 596 dogs were euthanized in 2023 – an annual increase of 75%.
The Minister of Rural and Community Development, Heather Humphreys, signed new regulations last year to increase on-the-spot fines under the Control of Dogs Act which came into effect from December 1, 2023.
Other measures included a €2 million fund to upgrade local authority dog shelter facilities and a public awareness campaign on responsible dog ownership.
The latest figures also show that only around a third of fixed charge penalty notices issued for various offences relating to dogs are collected.
Just 631 out of 1,858 on-the-spot fines issued to dog owners last year were paid.
Almost half of all fines were issued by dog wardens in one local authority area – Fingal County Council, while no fines at all were issued to dog owners in Kildare and Wicklow in 2023.
Breaches of the Control of Dogs Acts in 2023 last year resulted in 311 prosecutions and 149 convictions with legal proceedings only issued by eight councils.
The Department of Rural and Community Development said prosecutions by councils for non-payment of fines remains challenging for a number of reasons including high legal costs.
However, the department acknowledged it was an area that required “greater focus going forward.” Based on over 195,800 dog licences issued last year, the highest level of dog ownership in the country is in Kerry with 9.8 dogs per 100 population followed by Cavan (9.3) and Monaghan (8.8).
The lowest level of dog ownership by local authority area is in Dublin City at just 1.4 dogs per 100 population followed by Galway City (1.6) and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (2.1).
Dog warden services around the country are provided by 53 full-time staff and 27 part-time staff who work across 33 shelters or pounds which are operated by either a local authority, animal charity or private company.
The latest figures show that the overall cost of such services rose by 13% last year to just over €9m.
A net loss of over €4.6m was recorded in 2023 compared to a deficit of €3.4m the previous year.
