Dog attacks such as the one seen in Cork city are becoming more common, according to the Cork Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (CSPCA).
A woman was injured by a pit bull terrier in an attack in the back yard of her home at Connolly Road, Ballyphehane, shortly after 5pm yesterday evening.
The pit bull terrier was shot and killed by armed gardaí after it became aggressive in the incident.
Speaking to RTÉ News, CSPCA manager Vincent Cashman said: "Unfortunately we are seeing a rise in more severe attacks."
He said that many dogs who are of a restricted breed are quite large in stature and often heavier than their owners.
"A lot of the people who have them are lighter than the dog itself. A male XL (Bully) could be anything up to 11 stone in weight," he said.
Mr Cashman said some people were not schooling their dogs properly, and did not know how to handle them.
He said: "It's fine with a smaller breed but if you're dealing with a large breed that can potentially cause a lot of trouble, you need to be on top of your game."
He strongly recommended that anyone who owns a restricted breed of dog take a course in how to handle the animal.
Mr Cashman said they were also seeing a rise in people surrendering restricted dogs.
He said: "We've seen a rise in people trying to surrender them because w ith the ban in the UK ... people don't have the outlet for them as they once had.
"So these dogs were being breed in sizable numbers and they were fetching quick a high premium for pups which that market now is thankfully gone."
Dog attack 'could have been worse' - former councillor
Earlier, a former Cork city councillor said the attack on the woman yesterday evening could have been much worse but for the intervention of a family member.
Mick Finn said that people in Ballyphehane were very disturbed and upset following the incident.
"But for the intervention of a family member, it could have been a lot more serious," he said.
The woman was bitten in the arm and leg.
A family member was also bitten after he tried to restrain the dog. The man was bitten in the arm.
The two people who were injured were taken to Cork University Hospital, where they received treatment for soft tissue injuries.
A dog warden and a vet were called to the house yesterday evening, and gardaí requested support from the Garda Armed Support unit.
Following consultations with the dog's owner and the vet, the dog was shot by a member of the Armed Support Unit and euthanised by the vet.
Mr. Finn said it had caused people to once again ask questions about whether certain types of dogs should be allowed as is the case in the UK.
He said the thoughts of the community were with the woman in hospital and everyone hoped she would make a full recovery.
Nanci Creedon, an Irish and UK-based dog behaviourist, called on the Government to make changes to legislation and the education of dog owners.
Speaking on RTÉ's News at One, Ms Creedon said she has recently changed her mind from her prior advocation for each situation to be assessed individually.
"It has changed in the last 12-18 months down to the frequency of fatalities and the lack of change in our legislation and how we are educating dog owners.
"We are seeing a massive frequency of fatalities in the UK from what are XL bullies."
She explained that training methods are a major contributing factor to these attacks.
If the Irish Government does not make changes, then a blanket ban would need to be considered, Ms Creedon said.
She called on the Government to develop a dog safety organisation involving highly trained dog behaviour experts in each local authority, which would assist the Gardaí and dog wardens to assess if a dog needs to be put down.
She said many owners care about their dogs but are "clueless on the right information of how to care for their dogs.
"Once they are educated, they know better, they do better."
She explained that the XL Bully is not a Staffordshire bull terrier or a pit bull, nor is it a "family pet", but a combination of fighting breeds and guarding breeds.
"Your pit bull and your staffie will let you wrestle them to the ground and roll about with them and rough and tumble and hug them and squeeze them and kiss them.
"Your guarding breeds are aloof, they are standoffish, they do not like that.
"They will be defensive to that, and they will protect themselves from interactions they do not like.
"I would rather put a ban on any future breeding, purchasing, adopting of XL Bullies to minimise the population in Ireland until we get a hold on what is going on."
Additional reporting: Paschal Sheehy
