Mayo man ‘reluctantly’ agrees to hand over dog after court appearance

A DOG owner who accepted he did not have his animal under control on three different occasions has agreed to allow Mayo County Council to find a new home for the dog.

John Conway, with an address at Boyogonnell, Parke, Castlebar, told Judge Vincent Deane at Castlebar District Court that he was ‘reluctantly’ agreeing to the terms put forward by solicitor Dermot Hewson on behalf of Mayo County Council following a meeting between the defendant and his solicitor along with the dog warden involved in the case.

Mr. Gary Mulchrone, solicitor, asked to come off the record as solicitor for the defendant as his client was not willing to listen to him and was unwilling to take his advice as to how he should deal with the charges which were before the court.

Following some interchanges between the judge, Mr. Hewson and the defendant, Judge Deane asked Mr. Mulchrone if perhaps he would engage just once more with the defendant and explain the implications for him if he was to be convicted on the charges that were before the court.

Mr. Mulchrone agreed to the judge’s request and following a meeting between the parties they returned to the court later where Mr. Hewson said Mayo County Council were willing to withdraw the charges on condition the defendant agreed to the council retaining the dog and finding a new home for him.

“I reluctantly agree to the terms,” the defendant said to Judge Deane from the body of the court.

The case related to complaints that had been made over incidents involving the defendant’s dog which resulted in him being charged with failing to have control of his dog on three different occasions.

One charge related to the dog running out and jumping up on a man and his daughter while out walking near the defendant’s home.

A second incident related to his dog worrying sheep who were being herded on the road close to his house, while the third incident concerned the dog entering the yard of a neighbour and upsetting a load of chickens.

The defendant told Judge Deane he wanted to keep his dog as he had paid the fee while the dog was impounded.

Judge Deane asked the defendant if he accepted that his dog had acted as described in the three charges which were put before the court.

The defendant accepted his dog did wrong things but said he was only a pup.

* Funded by the Courts Reporting Scheme.