The Government will add more dogs to the dangerous dogs list if necessary following an attack on a young Wexford child last month.
Alejandro Mizsan was playing on a green area of the Old Forge Road estate in Enniscorthy, Wexford on November 27 when he was attacked by an unmuzzled pit bull.
The nine-year-old underwent extensive surgery as his face was ripped apart, with his bottom lip and each of his cheeks torn off, with extensive damage near his left eye. He also suffered serious leg injuries in the attack.
READ MORE: Family of boy mauled by dog tell of sadness that he won't be home from hospital for Christmas
His brother told the Irish Mirror that he will “never be the same again”.
The Government is now working on new rules to crack down on dog ownership.
Rural Development Minister Heather Humphreys said that the attack on Alejandro was “awful” and “all of our hearts went out to him and to his family when we saw those awful pictures of what happened to him”.
“[Agriculture] Minister Charlie McConalogue is going to lead that and we'll review the legislation around this,” she said.
“It has been reviewed recently. We have made changes to it, but we're happy to look at it again and to make sure that this same type of thing doesn't happen.
“It's important, particularly on the enforcement side, people need to control their dogs and they need to be aware of the dangers of some particular breeds.
“I know there is a list that is banned, and some of those dogs that have attacked are on and so we have to make sure that these dogs are controlled.”
Minister Humphreys added: “If we need to add more dogs onto that list, we'll be happy to do so.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Morning Ireland on Thursday morning, Minister McConalogue said that dog control lies under his department, Minister Humphrey’s department and Housing Minister Darragh O’Brien’s department.
Minister McConalogue said that there is a list of dogs that require muzzles and leads when they are out in public and this does not always happen.
He said: “What happened in Wexford was horrifying. We have to take every step we can to ensure that policy is being implemented and enforced and also if there is anything additional we can do, we assess what that is.”
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