Limerick mother calls for ban on husky dogs following attacks
Mags O'Leary with her son Reece before he was attacked by the family's pet husky
A LIMERICK mum has called for husky dogs to be banned and listed as dangerous dogs, following two attacks on children in the mid-west in the past fortnight.
Mags O’Leary, from Carew Park in Southill, had to wrestle her little boy Reece, aged two, from their family pet after the child was attacked by the husky in their back garden.
While the young boy did not sustain life-threatening injuries, he had to spend a number of days in Cork University Hospital being treated for his wounds, and the family pet was also put down.
Following another attack by a husky on a young girl in Clare last weekend, Ms O’Leary called for action to prevent these dogs from injuring other young children.
“I wouldn’t have got the dog if I knew what they were capable of. I thought they were pets but I would not advise people to buy these dogs. I didn’t think they could be that wild,” she said.
At the weekend, a father of a three-year old girl in Ballynacally, county Clare, also had to save his daughter from being killed by another Siberian husky. The girl later received 60 stitches for her injuries.
In both cases, ISPCA dog warden Frankie Coote seized the animals and had them put down at the owners’ requests.
Rafaela Rocca, a local volunteer with a number of animal welfare groups, said there is “no such thing as a banned breed - only a restricted dog”.
Mr Rocca wished to urge people to “think long and hard before taking on a high energy dog”, such as a husky, unless they have enough time to exercise the dog.
“In many cases the environment and the owners are just as important as the breed of the dog. Huskies would generally be working dogs, used to pulling big sleighs, and to be really, really physically active. If they’re not it can lead to trouble. We would in no way be critical of people who keep these dogs, but we would advise people to think before acquiring a high energy dog,” he said.
Currently, under Government legislation husky dogs are not on the restricted list.
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Thursday 20 June 2013
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