We have a large majority of dog breeders who do their work well and do it right. They are legislated for and they have regular visits from vets and regular welfare visits and they do everything correctly. We have a minority who are not doing it right. Any minority that is not doing it right deserves the heavy hand of the law. The Bill needs to be right once and for all but the biggest issue with introducing any Bill in the House is enforcement. The last Bill on this matter brought to the House was in 2012 and it has never been enforced properly. The resources for enforcing animal welfare have never been provided. I come from an area of greyhound breeding, greyhound racing, horse racing and everything. I come from a family where my parents had respect and said dogs had to be walked and fed and that the welfare of the dog was to be looked after. I will stick with greyhounds. In the Banogue and Croom area, Moloney's have a place where dogs are brought after racing to be rehomed. It is an amazing place to visit where everything is done properly. Have I seen places where people are doing wrong? Yes, I have. Have I raised issues with this? Yes, I have. People treating the welfare of their animals correctly and looking after dogs as if they were one of their own also need to see an incentive for doing things right. The biggest issue I see with animal welfare is enforcement. Nobody wants to see an animal being mistreated. The biggest issue with welfare is to make sure all the laws are implemented and things are done properly for the welfare of the animal. This is what we need to do. The biggest thing is to give resources for enforcement. We can make all the laws in the world but if we do not enforce them, things do not happen.

Sentiment score: 0.12