Irish Examiner view: Animal welfare campaigners win a stay on today's XL Bully deadline
The High Court has put a stay on today's deadline for Ireland's XL Bully ban until February 27, when a full hearing will take place on broader aspects of the Control of Dogs 2024 regulations.
The High Court case which intervenes in the law which allows XL Bullys to be put down or seized from animal charities or shelters, which was due to come into force today, rekindles a long-standing argument about whether the ownership of dogs is a right or a privilege.
Since the start of October, it has been illegal in Ireland to breed, sell, or import the XL. Animal welfare organisations had a stay to rehome or export them until February 1.
The six charities involved — My Lovely Horse Rescue, Clare Animal Welfare, Working Animal Guardians, Dogs Angels Ireland, Wicklow Animal Welfare, and the Haven Rescue — were successful in achieving a delay to seizure or euthanasia until February 27, when a full hearing will take place on broader aspects of the Control of Dogs 2024 regulations relating to the XL Bully.
Ireland already has a restricted breeds list of dogs that must be kept on a short lead, can only be walked by someone over the age of 16, and must wear a muzzle at all times in public spaces. They are not permitted in off-lead dog areas.
These breeds and their crosses include the American pit bull terrier, English bull terrier, Staffordshire bull terrier, bull mastiff, Dobermann pinscher, German shepherd, Rhodesian ridgeback, Rottweiler, Japanese Akita, Japanese Tosa, and Bandog. There are also similar restrictions in place for greyhounds.
These conditions were introduced in the context of dog attacks which left people with serious injuries. In one case, in Limerick last summer, a 23-year-old woman was killed by her own dogs which included an XL Bully.
This weekend also sees the introduction of a criminal offence for keeping an XL Bully without an exemption certificate. Penalties can include up to three months in prison or a fine of up to €2,500 or both.
Counsel for the animal groups said there was concern that there was no review procedure for dogs misidentified as XL Bullys and then put down, something which the judge agreed was “illogical”. The judge said:
Ireland’s dog population is conservatively estimated to be half a million. Dog shelters are full to capacity, and cannot cope with the number of stray, surrendered, abandoned, and mistreated dogs that require safety.
There will be citizens who wonder at the fascination and fashion for keeping strong and potentially aggressive animals whose numbers and types move in and out of the public consciousness.
In Britain, which has had its focus on the XL Bully, attention is now caught by the Cane Corso, a 50kg mastiff which traces its lineage back to the legions of Rome.
Let’s hope that is not a canine trend which reaches these shores. But taking someone’s dog away, let alone putting it down, is something which requires a robust and transparent procedure. The court hearing later this month should provide such certainty.
In many cases, the modern funeral represents a piece of performance art rather than a sad and sober occasion.
Music, readings, and audio-visuals, are frequently summoned to mark the passing of a loved one.
It’s impossible not to resist a smile at the choice of two black Jaguar cars to carry the coffin and family of the famously combative, old-school, British deputy prime minister John Prescott to his service in Hull, Yorkshire.
Prescott, a decisive figure in the Cop 3 conference at Kyoto in 1997 and at the 2009 climate summit in Copenhagen, was known as ‘Two Jags John’ during his time in the British Labour Party's government because of his love for the iconic vehicle for official duties.
He then became known as ‘Two Jabs’ after his spirited response to a protestor who egged him when he was on the stump in North Wales, an act of self-defence which won great support from the public.
It’s interesting to speculate what props Marianne Faithfull, chanteuse, actor, and muse to the Rolling Stones might have chosen to take with her to the grave. Faithfull, whose gamine appearance made her, like the models Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton, one of the faces of the 60s, had long-time connections with Ireland, which she described as a “sanctuary”, living in Co Waterford and Co Kildare. Among her friends was the playwright Frank McGuinness.
Mick Jagger wrote a chart hit, ‘As Tears Go By’, for his one-time girlfriend and she contributed to other Stones’ masterpieces such as ‘You Can’t Always Get What You Want’, and ‘Wild Horses’.
She also co-authored ‘Sister Morphine’, which echoed the self-destructive liturgy of sex, drugs, and rock’n’roll which shaped many years of her life.
It is a point of worry, as we enter the 25th year of the Six Nations rugby tournament — itself the descendant of a competition which has been in place since 1883 — that this year may be the last occasion it exists for general viewing outside a paywall.
The panel of experts on the ’s preview podcast can be heard fretting about the risks of removing this form of international rugby from free-to-air availability.
Separately, our contributor, and seasoned observer, Mick Cleary, warns that, “while there may be a slice of the Six Nations pie that remains available to all comers”, we must prepare for something different.
“Goodbye to million-strong audience, hello to a lot more cash... which invariably gets spaffed away, resulting in an even more craven need for more money from the next TV contract,” he says.
Those words bear repetition as we look forward to this afternoon’s encounter in Dublin between Ireland and England, with the old enemy in a state of disillusion which has as much to do with rugby finances as it does with the checkered form of the team under the stewardship of Steve Borthwick since his appointment two years ago.
English rugby’s chief executive, Bill Sweeney, faces a vote of no confidence in March, at the end of this international campaign, after grassroots organisations rebelled at the news that he has accepted a £358,000 (€428,000) bonus despite record losses and redundancies.
Five other executive directors shared £1m but Sweeney dismisses the uprising as being like an episode from Succession, the Sky TV drama about antics at global conglomerate Waystar Royco.
England, which is now backed by venture capitalists CVC Partners, led the charge into the modern commercial era after its captain Will Carling memorably described the game as being run by “57 old farts” in blazers who hypocritically took significant perks from the game while denying elite players the opportunity to earn the wages to match their spectator appeal.
Tony Hallet, the man who transformed that, and spearheaded a £60m broadcasting deal with Sky Sports while he was English rugby’s secretary, died last week. The chief executive of Six Nations Rugby, who will be in post two years this April, has a long career in sports rights and syndication. Tom Harrison managed the media business for the global giants IMG in Britain and Ireland and has experience in cricket syndication in England and Asia.
By tonight, we will know, with France still to come to the Aviva, whether Ireland’s hopes of a historic ‘threepeat’ are still alive and, if so, whether we are on course for the greatest Six Nations ever from our perspective.
But with England in meltdown, and Welsh club rugby in a lamentable state, the marketeers will be worrying about “the product”. Rugby is a niche sport. It is also controversial, with many parents, and an increasing number of schools, unconvinced about its safety.
Making it less visible at this time, and putting it beyond the reach of a deep-pocketed minority, is reckless and threatens the support and enthusiasm of future generations. When the current €105m deal expires later this year sports administrators face a very significant decision.
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