Donegal is to expand its dog warden team this year with the recruitment of a second full-time warden.
The ISPCA has launched a recruitment drive to hire a second warden for patrols and work in the Dog Pound in Letterkenny as a Pound Keeper.
There have been repeated calls for more resources for the service over the past year, following incidents of dog attacks on people, livestock and sheep worrying.
The additional funding was announced for dog warden services across Ireland last year in preparation for the restrictions on XL Bully which come into force next month.
County Councillor Michael McClafferty has welcomed the upcoming recruitment of a second warden as a “great asset to Donegal”.
In recent days, Cllr McClafferty has been representing farmers plagued by loose dogs in the Dunfanaghy area.
While wardens are based in Letterkenny, Cllr McClafferty has expressed hope that the expanded service will provide enhanced regional coverage.
“On foot of what has been happening in the last couple of days, with some dogs roaming loose and chasing sheep in Dunfanaghy, I’ll be pursuing this with the council at the next agricultural meeting,” Cllr McClafferty told Donegal Daily.
“There needs to be someone from the council, working alongside the ISPCA, dealing with all the dog control situations.”
Cllr McClafferty says he sees a lack of patrolling of dog restrictions on Donegal’s Blue Flag beaches during the summer season, as well as a constant issue of dog fouling in towns and villages countywide.
“The council needs to help get a handle on this. We are slipping into a situation where dog control is going backwards, where some owners are not taking proper responsibility, but this needs to be grabbed by the horns,” he added.
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