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A local councillor has described as “shocking and cruel” the death of a dog in an incident involving a firework in Meath on Halloween night. A local woman in Dunboyne is reported to have come across the dog still alive after the incident in Dunboyne Park on Friday, with the dog later succumbing to its devastating injuries. Speaking to LMFM, Leas Cathaoirleach of Meath County Council, Caroline O’Reilly, described the incident as “shocking and cruel” and said it has “left the whole community in Dunboyne and beyond Dunboyne very angry”. "To be honest, I couldn't sleep thinking about it last night,” she said. “It's actually, it's really hard to get your head around it. It was a shocking and cruel act that's left the whole community in Dunboyne and beyond Dunboyne very angry. A defenceless dog was killed with a firework in the public park last night and you know Halloween is supposed to be a fun family night and the amount of fireworks going off last night was unbelievable. “But it's just hard to understand how anyone could do something like that. My sympathy goes first of all to the dog's owner and family and to the lady who stayed with the dog at the time. “It was an extremely traumatic event for everybody, but at the end of the day this boils down to an individual or a group who thought this was a fun thing to do. That's what's most disturbing and I can see the whole community are horrified that someone would do this to a defenceless animal.” Commenting on the incident, Martina Kenny, co-founder of the My Lovely Horse Rescue animal charity, said: “This was not a prank - it was a crime. Let’s be clear: what happened in Dunboyne was illegal. The deliberate use of fireworks or ‘bangers’ to injure an animal constitutes an offence under the Animal Health and Welfare Act 2013." A statement from the charity added: “We will not accept illegal cruelty in our communities. This was deliberate, and those responsible must be found, charged, and prosecuted. “The era of turning a blind eye to illegal breeding and animal abuse must end now. “My Lovely Horse Rescue has written to the Minister for Agriculture requesting to be formally recognised as authorised officers under the Animal Health and Welfare Act, so that we can assist in enforcement and ensure cases like Dunboyne are never ignored again, we await a response.” The charity has encouraged the public to sign a petition asking the government to implement a number of measures "to take urgent, meaningful action to end the cruelty and restore accountability". The petition can be viewed here . An Garda Síochána has been contacted for comment. Subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news from the Irish Mirror direct to your inbox: Sign up here .
