Prospective dog owners should be asked to do a theory test in order to obtain a dog licence, a canine behaviour expert has said.
Nanci Creedon told the Oireachtas Agriculture Committee on Wednesday that any test should be similar to the driver theory test required to obtain a driver's licence.
As she briefed TDs and Senators, Ms Creedon listed a number of people who had died from dog bite fatalities. This included four-month-old Mia O’Connell who passed away after being attacked by a family dog.
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She also argued that the internet and social media are filled with “incorrect, unscientific and quite often dangerous dog behaviour and training advice”.
Ms Creedon said: “Education should be implemented in a variety of ways.
“In my opinion, the most effective method of owner education will be to legislate for it to be mandatory to pass a theory test that must be passed prior to obtaining a dog licence.
“As we've learned a dog of any breed in any size can cause a fatality, similarly to how a car of any size can cause a fatality.
“Drivers must be educated to a competent level before taking control of a car that could potentially cause harm if driven in the wrong way.
“Dog owners should have to be educated to a competent level before taking control of a dog that can cause harm if handled the wrong way.”
Fianna Fáil Senator Erin McGreehan said that she believed there should be a theory test for a “creature that could potentially be a killer”.
Ms Creedon also said that owning a dog should “not be cheap” and money from dog licences should be put back into education.
She also called for the establishment of the Dog Bite Prevention Organisation should be appointed to investigate reports of aggressive dogs”.
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