New regulations to be introduced to protect the general public from guard dogs.
Minister for the Environment Padraig Flynn has announced tough new measures to protect the public from guard dogs.
All animals will have to be tattooed or will have to carry permanent identification tags. They'll also have to be accompanied by their handlers at all times.
The Minister said that if standards were not adhered to, licences would be withdrawn and owners would face stiff fines of up to £500 for breaches of the regulations.
According to the Minister, the new measures are needed following recent savage attacks on people by guard dogs. In order to protect the public a working group was set up last March to review the situation. The group came up with a list of recommendations on how to better protect the general public.
A guard dog on a business premises must be controlled by a handler except when the dog is permanently secured. There must also be notices on premises where guard dogs are operating. Permanent identification of dogs will take the form of a tattoo or an electronic implant. New standards for kennels will also be introduced.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 1 September 1988.
