The sister of Limerick woman Nicole Morey who was killed in a dog attack has said new laws banning XL bully dogs are not strict enough.
Jolene Morey said her sister had all the documents needed for her pets.
“The law they’re bringing out, you have to have a licence, you have to have papers … but my sister had all of them,” she told RTÉ’s Upfront With Katie Hannon programme.
“Nicole loved them dogs, and the dogs loved Nicole. But they just turned on her.”
Nicole was killed by her dogs, including an XL bully, as she returned home after celebrating her 23rd birthday in June.
Her death prompted Minister for Rural and Community Development Heather Humphreys to introduce legislation focused on XL bully dogs.
From Tuesday, it will be illegal to import, breed or re-sell XL bullies, while a ban on ownership of the dogs will come into force from February 1st.
Current owners of XL bullies will be required to neuter their dogs to obtain a certificate of exemption between those two dates in order to keep them.
It followed several incidents of dog attacks, including a case in Co Wexford in which a nine-year-old boy was left with serious facial injuries.
In an interview to be aired on Monday, Jolene Morey is to tell the programme that she does not believe the law represents “a big enough change”.
“I think people are going to keep the dogs, and then there’s going to be more accidents and more attacks. But people won’t feel the pain until it hits their front doorstep.
“I think there should be a stricter law brought in. They’re dangerous dogs. They’re not small little puppies. They’re not dogs that you could just mess around with. They can just switch in two seconds.”
She described the family’s reaction when they heard that something had happened to Nicole that night.
“I was sitting in my room in darkness, and I rang Nicole because I didn’t believe it was real.
“Then I texted her, I said, ‘Are you OK?’ And got no message back. And then a video got sent to me. And they asked me if it was with my sister. And I just remember clicking into a video and seeing her on the floor.”
She added: “I was just waiting for the phone call to say she’s gone because I had a feeling in my stomach that she didn’t survive it.
“But my mum was like, ‘No, it’s only bites and stuff’. Then my uncle rang, and I just knew from his voice that she was gone.”
She described her sister as successful and an important part of their family as the eldest sibling.
“My family want Nicole to be remembered as how much of a good person she was. Not the girl that died from the dog attack or the video that’s going viral.
“Nicole did so well in life. Nicole would do anything for anyone. She’s just a lovable person.”
