A STORM has blown up after it was discovered that an English bull terrier which viciously mauled a pet donkey in Ballyclare has not been destroyed, but is now being kept by a breeder in Larne.
Isabella the donkey had been familiar sight to local people who passed her field at Rashee Road for over 30 years.
In May, her owners were left heartbroken when the little donkey was mauled by the dog in question as the grazed in a field beside t
heir home. Despite a vet being on the scene quickly, the animal died of her horrific injuries.
In September, Kenneth Morrow, of Rashee Road, appeared at Belfast Magistrates' Court on a charge of allowing his dog to worry livestock. He was fined £1,850 and banned from keeping dogs for five years.
However, it has since emerged that the dog is now in the care of a dog breeder, raising fears it could be used for breeding purposes.
Newtownabbey councillors were aghast recently when they discovered the current circumstances relating to the dog. They queried why it had not been put down and said that if it is now being bred from, then the tendency to attack could be passed down the line.
A council officer informed them that the owners of the donkey had, in fact, specifically asked for the dog's life to be spared. To this end, it was agreed that the English bull terrier - not a proscribed breed - be given over to a breeder in Larne. The conditions under which it was to be kept included that it be "muzzled and on a lead in public and kept in a secure location when not being exercised".
The situation has been described as "ridiculous" by former mayor of Newtownabbey, Alderman Nigel Hamilton, who said he would be writing to the Environment Minister, Sammy Wilson calling for a tightening up of dog licensing laws. He had queried whether the dog had been properly licensed at the time of the attack, to which the council officer said he believed the animal was licensed, but would need to check that this was the case.
"I am very concerned that should Mr Morrow for example, wish to acquire a dog and reside in a neighbouring borough, he could do so unless it was discovered that he had already been banned in Newtownabbey," explained Alderman Hamilton.
"It is important that loopholes like this are addressed as soon as possible, and I will be writing to Minister for the Environment, Sammy Wilson MP, MLA to raise the issue with him.
"There needs to be legislation in place to ensure that we have a joined-up policy which councils and the judiciary can apply, and remove loopholes like this."
