Galway Advertiser 2008/GA_2008_04_24/GA_2404_E1_024.pdf 

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24 N E W S

www.galwayadvertiser.ie

April 24 2008

`Careless' driver rearended Garda car
Rear-ending a Garda patrol car landed a young Polish worker before Galway District Court this week, where he pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving. Garda Seamus O'Regan gave evidence that at 1.45am on August 22 last he was called to the scene of a minor three-car accident at Seamus Quirke Road, Galway. He said the first vehicle at the scene was a Garda patrol car. The second vehicle belonged to the accused, Maruisz Landowski, 16 Aras Bun Caise, Bishop O'Donnell Road, Galway, while a third vehicle was also slightly involved. Garda O'Regan explained that Landowski's car had rear-ended the patrol car. He said the accused was fully insured and had no previous convictions. Judge Mary Fahy fined the accused 300 for the careless driving charge but, she said, she would not disqualify him as he was fully insured and had no previous convictions.

Will someone have to be killed before dangerous dogs are banned? asks O'Flaherty
BY KERNAN ANDREWS Someone will have to be "maimed, or worse still, killed in this country before some action is taken" to ban dangerous breeds of dogs, according to PD Cllr Terry O'Flaherty. Cllr O'Flaherty says it is the Government's fault that aggressive breeds of dogs are still being allowed to wander around estates un-muzzled and uncontrolled by their owners. Recently, the Department of the Environment wrote to the Association of County and City Councils, regarding a motion proposed by Cllr O'Flaherty calling for a ban on certain breeds of dogs, to confirm the department had no plans to do this. "It appears someone will have to be maimed, or worse still, killed before action is taken," said Cllr O'Flaherty who was bitterly disappointed with the response from Minister John Gormley's Department. "I receive complaints on a regular basis from people across the city who are afraid to go outside their own front door because they have encountered these dogs in their estates unmuzzled. In one estate on the east side of the city, a pit-bull killed a small dog." Cllr O'Flaherty pointed out that certain dog breeds are now totally banned in France and Germany, while in Britain. It is illegal for anyone to own a pit bull terrier, Japanese Tosa, or two other breeds, unless a special court exemption is granted. She added that while some people keep pit-bull terriers as pets "the reality is that pit bulls are bred for blooding for pit bull fights". She pointed out that pit bulls are extremely valuable and the organised fights and sales of such dogs generate big money. Cllr O'Flaherty also said that dogs attacks "are known to be one of the most common causes of severe facial laceration in children" and that without any legislation to tackle this in Ireland, dangerous dogs will "continue to pose a

Former chairman of Galway County Council Michael Finnerty (centre) is set to return to the local authority after being selected to fill the seat vacated by outgoing councillor Joe Tierney. Cllr Finnerty, who lost his council seat in the 1999 local elections, secured the nomination at a selection convention in Ballinasloe this week. Cllr Finnerty is pictured at the convention with Dep Ulick Burke (left) and Dr Aonrai Finnegan.

risk to the general public whose safety should be paramount in the Government's mind". She accused the Government of "having its head in the sand in relation to this matter" and said instead it should follow the example of other countries. "We have all read the disturbing reports of people killed by these animals in other countries," she said. "If we don't want to see headlines like that here and experience the horror of a fatal attack on someone by a violent dog, the Government needs to act decisively. I will

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