At approximately 11:40 p.m. on Tuesday, Ballyneety, County Limerick, saw an event that prompted the contact of emergency personnel.
At the scene, the woman was declared deceased. For a post-mortem, her body has been transported to University Hospital in Limerick.
A number of dogs have been taken into custody and the involved dog was put down.
A minister who recently organized a committee to study dog control declared that she was “appalled by the news” and that she was “committed” to strengthening the law.
“I want to start by expressing my deepest sympathies to her family in what is a deeply shocking incident,” said rural minister Heather Humphreys.
We need to get the truth about what happened so that the Garda inquiry can proceed.
“I have said time and time again that more needs to be done to regulate dogs.
“For this reason, I have established a cross-governmental stakeholder group to look into this whole area, with retired deputy Garda commissioner John Twomey serving as chair.”
In Ireland, there are a number of restricted breeds, including certain crosses, German shepherds, rottweilers, and other bull terriers.
Dogs that are restricted must be kept in a collar with their owner’s identity on a tag, muzzled when in public, and on a short, sturdy lead with a person over 16 who can manage them.
