Donegal to get funding for extra dog warden services

It is hoped that Donegal could get an enhanced dog warden service from its share of €2m in funding that is being made available to local authorities.

Over the summer, Cllr Terry Crossan raised a motion calling for an enhanced dog warden service in the county.When the motion was raised there were two wardens covering the county. 

This came after a man was attacked by a dog while out running on the Muff greenway.

Following the motion at July's Donegal County Council meeting, the local authority received a response from the Department of Rural and Community Development that the €2m funding will be used to manage the increased demand for dog control and ensure there are adequate resources available to enforce the pending ban on XL Bully dogs.

“The minister’s main priority is safety and this funding will help each local authority ensure they’ve enough dog warden’s available,” the department said in its response to the local authority

“Minister Humphreys asked local authorities to begin the process of increasing the number of dog wardens as soon as possible.”

Mr Crossan welcomed the response but questioned whether the funding will be enough once it is divided between all local authorities.

“My concern is and I based my motion on, that there was the unavailability of a dog warden at weekends, bank holidays or during holiday periods and I would like if possible if something were in place,” the Sinn Féin councillor told Donegal Live

“If they set up an emergency number, a dog warden could be made available during those times at weekends or bank holidays.”

The south Inishowen councillor said the majority of incidents involving dogs he hears about take place at the weekends or bank holidays. 

Mr Crossan is unaware if the new funding, which is being put in place for 2025,  is enough to get a 24-hour dog warden service.

“I will be asking for periodic updates on this situation. I’ll be asking what Donegal is going to get out of  this €2 million and how our allocation is going to be spent to improve the service.”