by Michael Devlin

ONE month into Omagh District Council's Dog Amnesty and a grand total of one dog has been handed in.

Inspired by a series of dog attacks late last year the amnesty was introduced to encourage owners of dangerous breeds (Pitbull Terriers, Japanese Tosas and other such dogs bred for fighting) to hand them in to the Council's dog warden. There remains one month left and the amnesty will close on March 16.

Enforcement officer at Omagh District Council Anne-Marie McCann explained, "We've only had one dog handed in so far and that was a pit bull. It was a genuine case of a family not knowing what it was. It had to be destroyed.

"We have, however had an awful lot of people ringing in to say that they think their neighbour has one of these dogs but none of the calls have proved to be correct, it has always turned out that the dog in question is a Labrador cross or something. But a lot of the time, you have to rely on information from the public."

Mrs McCann reiterated that local people who are concerned that there is a dangerous dog in their area should still call and report it to her at Omagh Council.

"We've never really had a huge problem (with dangerous dogs) in the Omagh area," she continued. "But what happened last year with different attacks prompted councillors to request an amnesty.

"With the breeding of the Pitbulls and these other dogs, they can turn on you at any time. You have no way of knowing when that will happen and they might be the model family pet until that day. It might never happen but unfortunately, sometimes it does and they can turn on you."

Omagh District Council is urging any member of the public who wishes to hand in a dog of this type, or who suspects they own a dog which they believe may be classified as an illegal breed, to contact the dog warden at Omagh District Council on 02882 245321 ext 232.

Following cessation of the amnesty on Friday March 16, any dog owner who is found in possession of an illegal breed of dog will face prosecution.