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Peredur Owen Griffiths, who represents Plaid Cymru, is one of four regional Senedd Members serving the South Wales East region.

In the last month I got the opportunity to press the Labour Government about efforts to promote responsible dog ownership. This is something I have raised on several occasions in the wake of the tragedies that hit Penyrheol in recent years.

The death of ten-year-old Jack Lis at the hands of an XL Bully dog in November 2021 is etched in the memory of the community of Penyrheol and further afield. Pensioner Shirley Patrick, also from Penyrheol, was mauled to death by an XL Bully cross Cane Corso breed the following year.

There have been other dog attacks as well – both in Penyrheol and across my region. This is why I have been campaigning for the Labour Government to promote responsible dog ownership to keep our communities safer.

Yes, there are some breeds of dogs that can be especially dangerous due to their size, power and natural aggression. However, in the wrong hands many kinds of dogs can be dangerous.

I was hoping that the Labour Government could do something about this issue and introduce legislation under existing powers around animal welfare.

In a Members’ Legislation Proposal in the Senedd, I outlined to the government how, taking inspiration from international examples, this could happen in a Welsh framework.

Given that we are barely more than a year out from the next Senedd election and with a packed legislative programme on the horizon, this looks nigh on impossible now however.

I have therefore called on the Labour rural affairs minister to collaborate with animal welfare charities such as RSPCA Cymru and run a nationwide awareness campaign within the next 15 months to promote responsible dog ownership.

I believe this could have a big impact on increasing community safety and would go some way in ensuring there is a pan-Wales approach to responsible dog ownership.

There are pockets of good practice but it is not uniform across the country. The response to my calls for an awareness campaign was somewhat muted so I would not hold my breath for anything being done on this either.

Nevertheless, Plaid Cymru will continue to campaign for measures that increase community safety and I will continue to work with people to bring about a safer environment for people and dogs. 

In this column I also wanted to reflect on the hole that the senior mens’ Welsh rugby team finds itself in. After a 14th straight loss and slipping below Georgia in the world rankings, it was inevitable that Gatland departed the team for the second time. It is also undeniable that Welsh rugby is going through one of the toughest times in my lifetime but I am heartened when I see that the talent that our community clubs produce every year – like Senghenydd’s Harri Ford who played really well for Wales Under 20s in their away win over Italy Under 20s last week.

It does feel like these success stories are down to individual clubs, rather than an all-encompassing system and strategy like you may see in other rugby nations. The WRU has been accused by many of not supporting grassroots rugby enough and failing to adequately support the development of elite pathways for our most talented youngsters.

By way of contrast, the FAW seems to have found a sweet spot of supporting all levels of the game to ensure that our age grade football teams are punching above their weight on the international scene.

This won’t be a quick fix but the WRU needs to work out what its priorities are quickly and channel its resources accordingly. This will hopefully lead to more cash for the development of the game and the next crop of quality Welsh rugby players.