Bull mastiff worry

techtom

My neighbours dog bull mastif killed my mothers little jack Russel puppy.
The dog is not muzzled in their property. Their property is not big and dog has tendency to come roam in and out of to our property
The neighbours are not approachable or friendly.

I am now concerned abou dog when her grandchildren go up to visit.
Or indeed my mother
She is going to get a chicken run will this draw the dog ?

Any advice

delboythedub

Maybe pop down to local garda for a bit of advise

NIMAN

I would always be wary of most dogs around kids, but these savage ones are a new kind of worry.

Would second the idea of mentioning it to the Guards.

Do you have kids? You say it roams on to your property? Don't these breeds have to be muzzled?

techtom

https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/public-reminded-of-dog-breed-rules-451798.html

cocker5

techtom wrote: »

My neighbours dog bull mastif killed my mothers little jack Russel puppy.
The dog is not muzzled in their property. Their property is not big and dog has tendency to come roam in and out of to our property
The neighbours are not approachable or friendly.

I am now concerned abou dog when her grandchildren go up to visit.
Or indeed my mother
She is going to get a chicken run will this draw the dog ?

Any advice

???

What happened RE: your mum's puppy? surely the guards were called etc?

personally i'd loose the plot altogether

DBB

There is no requirement in law for any dog of any breed to be muzzled when not in a public place.
In other words, the owners of the Mastiff do not have to have him muzzled when on their property. Strictly speaking, your premises isn't a "public place", but the spirit of the muzzling law may still apply. The first port of call here is your local county council dog warden, as they can advise as to how the law does, or doesn't apply when incidents occur on private property. If the muzzling law is not, in practice, upheld in situations like this, then it's a civil matter. It is likely that if you call the guards, they'll tell you to contact the dog warden.
Another section of the law deals with "dangerous dogs", which applies to dogs of all breeds, shapes and sizes. It is enforceable when a dog causes injury or damage to people or livestock. Unfortunately, other dogs are not legally considered to be livestock, so incidents such as the op's aren't covered by this legislation.
Hens are indeed quite likely to draw him in, and if he were to damage or kill a hen, that "dangerous dog" legislation would kick in, as poultry are livestock.
There is no correlation between a dog injuring or killing another dog, and its safety around humans.
That said, it's impossible to say whether this individual dog happens to also be a risk around people. The only thing that is certain is that this dog is not safe around smaller dogs.

So.. Where does this leave the op? Legally, there's not a huge amount of reparation you can expect from your neighbours over the horrible death of your mum's dog, but as all dog owners (of all breeds) are legally obliged to do, they must keep their dog appropriately contained on their property, so it is their responsibility to fence their property accordingly. That said, if it were me, I'd be taking steps to make sure my property was dog-proof too... Not only to keep my dogs in and their dogs out, but also, if there are plans to keep poultry, the place really should be fox-proofed. If a bull mastiff can get into your mum's property, a herd of foxes can get in the same way.
I'm so sorry to hear what happened to your mum's pup op... It is a horrendous thing to happen to a dog. I'm sure your mum must be very upset.