Useful Animal Info

Dogs / Horses

The main legislation regarding the Health & Welfare of Animals in Ireland is The Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013

Dog Ownership in Ireland 2025

The Department of Agriculture, together with the Department of Rural & Community Development, published a leaflet on dog ownership to help owners and/or prospective dog owners understand the rules & regulations to which you must comply.

DAFM DRCD Dog Ownership Leaflet

Since the printing of the leaflet new legislation has been introduced banning XL Bullies in Ireland, which states that from:

1 October 2024, it is illegal to import, breed, rehome or resell an XL Bully dog
1 February 2025, it will be illegal to own an XL Bully unless you have a Certificate of Exemption

To get a Certificate of Exemption you need to contact your local County Council office. Note that to get the certificate your dog must be licensed, microchipped & neutered

If you don’t follow the rules of the ban, you could be fined up to €2,500 and/or imprisoned for up to 3 months

If you don’t have a Certificate of Exemption for your dog, your dog can be seized and put down.

Another point to note about the content of the leaflet is regarding the reporting of animal cruelty, the NSPCA (formerly ISPCA & DSPCA) do not cover every county in Ireland, Clare is one of those counties.

You can also ring the Garda station local to the area where the cruelty/neglect is taking place. Animal rescues based in that county may also be in a position to help.

Please do not just post and share images and information on social media. There is every chance that by the time someone can go to check on the animal(s), they will have been moved or hidden by their owner.

Dog Licences can be bought online.

Greyhounds (incl whippets as well as strains or cross-breeds of these breeds) are not a restricted breed. However, there are specific rules you must follow if you are out with your greyhound in a public place. You must always have your greyhound on a leash and never walk more than four at a time.

Stray dogs are dogs that are in a public place and are not with their owner or a responsible person who is looking after them.

You can get an on-the-spot fine if your dog is not under proper control. Stray dogs can be seized by the dog warden or Gardaí and brought to a dog pound. These dogs may be put down or re-homed if their owners do not claim them within 5 days.

If your dog is lost and does not have identification on it’s collar and/or is not microchipped it is very important to contact the local dog warden and animal rescues as soon as possible to report that it is lost. Failure to do this can result in your dog being rehomed after 5 days after which point the dog is legally no longer yours. If you have found a lost dog you should also report it to the local dog warden and animal rescues who may be able to help and may have already been contacted by the dog’s owner.

If you are reclaiming your lost dog you may have to pay a re-claim fee and produce a current dog licence.

Dog control penalties and fines

Local authorities can introduce bye-laws with new rules about dog control in their area.

If you are given an on-the-spot fine, this is given immediately without a court process. You have a limited amount of time to pay the fine. If you do not pay the fine in time, you may be prosecuted in court.

Dog control penalties
Offence	Fines since 1 Dec 2023	If you don’t pay the fine
No dog licence	On-the-spot fine: €150 paid to your local authority	You can be prosecuted in the District Court with a maximum fine of €2,500 or 3 months’ imprisonment (or both)
No identification on dog	On-the-spot fine: €200 paid to your local authority	You can be prosecuted in the District Court with a maximum fine of €2,500 or 3 months’ imprisonment (or both)
Stray dog	On-the-spot fine: €150 paid to your local authority	The pound will hold a dog for at least 5 days. Dogs not re-claimed from the dog pound within 5 days may be put down, rehomed or transferred to an animal welfare group.
Dog not kept under control	On-the-spot fine of €300 paid to your local authority	You can be prosecuted in the District Court with a maximum fine of €2,500 or 3 months’ imprisonment (or both)
Breach of bye-laws (setting out times when dog may be unleashed in public)	Fines up to €2,500 on conviction.	N/A
Dog fouling public place	Owners or dog handlers who do not dispose of dog faeces in a responsible way may receive an on-the-spot fine of €150.	You can be prosecuted in the District Court with a maximum fine of €4,000, and €600 per day for continuing offences on summary conviction.

Selling Pets

There are rules about the sale and supply of pets, including dogs.

If you sell or supply 5 or more pets in a calendar year you must:

Register with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Keep records about pet animals for sale or supply
Include certain information if you are advertising an animal for sale. For example, if you are advertising a dog for sale, you must include its microchip number.
Not sell or supply pets under a certain age. This is 8 weeks for dogs.

If you are advertising a dog for sale, the advertisement must have the dog’s microchip code.

These rules are set out in the Animal Health and Welfare (Sale or Supply of Pet Regulations) 2019 https://www.irishstatutebook.ie/eli/2019/si/681/made/en/pdf .

There is a Code of Practice for people who sell and supply pet animals – https://www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/72757/b2c949842df74515b747aa878a783cd7.pdf#page=null

Horse Ownership in Ireland 2025

All equine animals including horses, ponies and donkeys must have a valid passport recording specific identification details of the animal. Once issued, a passport is valid for the lifetime of the equine.

In August 2025, following on from Prof Wall’s report on equine traceability in Ireland, the Department of Agriculture released a booklet on the regulations regarding equine identification and traceability. The booklet can be seen here.

You must keep a record of:

All births, deaths and movements of equines on to or off your farm and the dates of these events.
The Equine Premises Registration Number (EPRN) of the place where equines have come from, or where they go to, and the date of that movement.
All medicines administered to your equines.

What do I need to know about buying or selling equines:

You must have an Equine Premises Registration Number (EPRN), you will find an application form here.
Your equines must always be accompanied by their passport.
Un-weaned foals, moving with their dam or foster mare, do not need a passport but may need to be microchipped.
When buying an equine, complete a transfer of ownership through the original Irish Passport Issuing Organisation (PIO). Don’t buy an equine without its passport.
When selling an equine give its passport to the buyer.
Give your EPRN to the person you are buying from or selling to.
Give your EPRN to any sales venues when buying or selling equines.
Keep a record of the equines you bought or sold. This includes their Universal Equine Lifetime Number (UELN), the EPRN of the other person and the date of the transaction.

The Department of Agriculture have an Equine Chip Checker service on their website. This enables you to check whether an equine UELN (passport number) or an equine microchip number is valid. Successful searches will return non-personal information including the breed, gender, colour, approximate age and food chain status of the animal, as recorded on the DAFM central equine database.