Henderson welcomes Councils Dangerous Dog Amnesty
Ulster Unionist candidate for Strangford and Castlereagh Councillor Michael Henderson has welcomed the decision of Castlereagh, Ards, North Down and Down Borough Councils to announce a dangerous dog amnesty for the month of March.
Cllr Henderson said:
“Castlereagh, Ards, North Down and Down Borough Council are following the lead of Ballymena Council who were the first in the UK to introduce the amnesty. In the first such scheme in the UK, Ballymena Borough Council gave owners of pit-bulls and other dogs bred for fighting a month to hand in animals without fear of prosecution.
“In Belfast, since the scheme was introduced, almost 50 pit-bull terriers have been surrendered to Belfast City Council since May of last year. Eighteen of the 49 dogs were handed over this January, the council said.
“The reason behind this amnesty is so people can come forward and hand over their dogs without fear of prosecution. Given the dangerous and often unpredictable nature of these animals, this is a forward step to take to protect the vulnerable in our community.”