Crime Prevention Officer for Laois/Offaly, Garda Sergeant, Graham Kavanagh joined Paul Downey for this month’s Crime Prevention segment on the LaoisToday Midweek Podcast.
They discussed dogs and how important it is to continue to look after your dog and know their whereabouts at all times.
Letting dogs roam freely for long periods of time could lead to serious issues for local farmers or indeed the public.
Garda Kavanagh said: “Dogs need a lot of attention. They need a lot of looking after.”
“One of the areas of a concern is sheep farmers and sheep attacks. Every year we see numbers of animals being attacked, losing their life or being seriously injured because of dogs chasing them.”
“One thing I will say is that those dogs are not coming from Dublin, they’re not coming from way away. They’re generally coming from within our own communities – our neighbours dogs getting into a pack and causing distress,” he explained.
“Generally in between 300-400 attacks are reported every year and 3,000-4,000 kills or serious injuries to livestock, particularly with sheep.”
Garda Kavanagh explained the importance of knowing where your dog is 24 hours a day and how we all need to have control to avoid attacks.
He believes the attitude of ‘my dog wouldn’t do that’ won’t cut is because while they’re a family pet at home, if they find they’re way into a pack then a lot of damage can be done.
Garda Kavanagh also discussed how to keep your dog safe from theft and having the dog licensed and microchipped.
“If your dog is stolen or lost, that’s (microchips) how we get the dog back to you. People need to be stepping up to the mark and complying with the regulations,” he urged.
“There’s supposed to be a collar on the dog with identifying details to be able to contact the owner. In certain categories of dangerous dogs, they’re supposed to be muzzled even if they’re on the lead,” Garda Kavanagh continued.
Information of how to be a good dog owner and what to look out for can be found on Citizens Information and Laois and Offaly Dog Pound pages.
To hear more from Garda Kavanagh on this topic you can listen to the podcast on Souncloud, Spotify or Apple Podcasts.
