'Always assume the worst will happen': Calls for urgent response to tackle rise in dog attacks

A spate of recent dog attacks has highlighted the dearth of laws around management of pets and the lack of knowledge among the public about what can happen. Jack White reports 

Baby Mia O'Connell was killed by a family pet in Waterford in 2021.

After a number of high-profile dog attacks in recent months, there are increasingly urgent calls for a cultural shift in how Ireland’s dog owners operate.

In November, an attack in Enniscorthy on Alejandro Miszan by a pitbull left his face “totally destroyed” according to his brother.