Donegal County Council has confirmed it is seeking extra resources to expand the Dog Warden service in the county.
The service is operated by the ISPCA under contract from the council, with two wardens covering the county on a nine to five basis, Monday to Friday.
In light of a recent dog attack in Inishowen, there are calls for the service to be expanded.
The Dog Warden Service in Donegal received 15 calls in the first three months of the year relating to dog attacks on people, an average of just over one call per week.
In light of a recent dog attack on the greenway near Muff, Cllr Terry Crossan moved a motion calling for extra wardens to be hired so an out of hours service can also be provided. This he said should be accompanied by the publication of a dedicated telephone number which people could use to contact the dog wardens.
Responding, officials said a case has already been made for additional resources across all local authorities, and the council will again write to the department on the matter.
Cllr Crossan says extra investment in the service is vital……………
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Motion
“I propose that D.C.C. dog warden services are increased to include weekends and Bank Holidays. There
should also be an emergency number available for out of hours requirements”.
Response –
The Donegal County Council Dog Warden Service is currently supplied by the ISPCA under contract. Two
Dog Wardens cover the county on a nine to five, Monday to Friday basis. In Q1 of 2024 there were 15
calls to the Dog Warden Service relating to dog attacks on people including during operational hours and
out of hours calls. This would equate to just over 1 call per week. This would be in addition to calls in
relation to stray dogs, barking nuisances and so forth. Additional resources (funding and personnel)
would be required to extend the Service to include weekends and Bank Holidays and to provide an out of
hours emergency number. A case has already been made for additional resources across all local
authorities in this regard, and this is being pursued nationally through the sector. If the motion is
adopted, the Council will follow up again and write to the Department of Housing, Local Government &
Heritage on the matter.
