Dangerous dogs are causing anxiety for residents of housing estates across Cork, heard yesterday’s meeting of Cork County Council.

Fianna Fáil councillor Bernard Moynihan called for an update on current arrangements in place to deal with dangerous dogs including “the numbers employed in this area and the powers available to council to deal with owners of dangerous breeds of dogs”.

Mr Moynihan said the public has been continuously raising this issue through residents’ groups and tidy towns groups, especially in housing estates.

“One house could have a very dangerous dog,” he said. “We have seen recently the tragedies that can happen.”

He highlighted that some dogs “can do serious damage to sheep, to humans”.

“There was an attack on sheep last week by dogs. Any dogs that are out there that are not microchipped: that dog should immediately be confiscated.”

Owners should be dealt with in a “very serious manner”. It appears to be an “unregulated environment”, said Mr Moynihan.

Parents are afraid to have children playing in the green areas of housing estates, he added.

“These dogs are not on leads. They don’t have muzzles. They get out of the back gardens of houses, in a highly stressed state.”

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has set up a task force on the matter. Mr Moynihan called on the council to write to the Minister, saying they wanted “immediate action” on owners of dogs that are out of control.

Party colleague, Cllr Gillian Coughlan, seconded the motion. “Over the last fortnight, we’ve had a number of news items as regards dogs,” she said. Ms Coughlan called for “DNA traceability” for dogs.

Councillor Frank O’Flynn pointed to recent incidents of “people lurching late at night” in North Cork. Residents of rural areas are “living in fear”, said Mr O’Flynn.