Woman mauled to death by dogs - Let’s ban these killer animals

IT is all but impossible for an Irish person to legally own a handgun; we persistently tighten drink driving limits; we impose speed limits, and we have developed an all-powerful culture of health and safety because we want to do all we can to prevent avoidable injury or loss of life.

Yet we tolerate dangerous animals on our streets because some deluded people imagine these unfortunate animals are pets.

Teresa McDonagh paid for this lunacy with her life when she was attacked by two bull mastiffs. Tragically, it is only a matter of time before more lives are lost because we tolerate dangerous, powerful dogs, genetically engineered to attack and savage each other and whoever stands in their way.

The Dangerous Dogs’ Act decrees that specific breeds be kept on a lead and muzzled in public but it may as well decree that the dogs be taught quantum physics — the vast majority of these dogs go unmuzzled.

It is not uncommon to see some sad, irresponsible person walking two or three of these timebomb dogs though even the strongest man would struggle to control one when it loses control. Once again we have laws we don’t enforce. There is a solution — if we are not going to police them ban them completely.

These killer dogs — and that is what they are no matter how they wag their tail — have no place in contemporary society. If we can ban handguns we can ban pit bulls — and preferably before someone else is mauled to death.