Stolen defibs used to blood up fighting dogs

A shocking claim that stolen life-saving medical devices are being to be used to “blood-up” animals before cruelly pitting them against each other in illegal dog fights was made at the September meeting of Cavan County Council.
Fianna Fáil’s Shane P O’Reilly made the startling comments in the context of the recent thefts of community-funded Automated External Defibrillators (AED) from three locations across the east of the county earlier this year.
Last July, two defibrillators were taken from St Mary’s Church at Clonaphillip, Cuchulainn’s Sports Complex and the community hall in Cross. A fourth theft of an AED also took place near Kells.
Speaking in the Council chamber last month, Cllr O’Reilly informed his fellow members that he had been made aware that in cases, such as the thefts locally, the devices were being “used in a very undesirable manner”.
“Illegal dog-fighting rings, is what I’ve been told. They hook them up to the animals and it bloods them up. It sends the animals wild and then they tear each other apart,” he told the monthly meeting.
Cllr O’Reilly added: “To those who stole them, I sincerely hope you’ll never need one,” noting that their loss to the community and to those who may potentially need them in effect, “amounted to a stolen life”.
The Mullagh-based councillor once again appealed to the public and anyone with information regarding the thefts to contact the Gardaí or community members. “There’s no harm done if they’re left back but right now it’s a very unsettling thing for a community that if someone took ill this evening, that those defibrillators are missing.”

Cavan First Responders
Cllr O’Reilly also promoted and commend the efforts of the Co Cavan First Responders (CCFR) who are spearheading an initiative that would see every defibrillator location noted on a national database, similar to in the UK, along with contact details for trained users should an emergency arise.
His motion to support the alert system was supported by Cllrs Paddy McDonald (SF), Niamh Smyth (FF) and Philip Brady (FF).
CCFR will be hosting the first of a series of meetings seeking public support and assistance for their defibrillator alert system at Killydoon Hall on October 8, at 7.30pm.
John Monaghan of CCFR told The Anglo-Celt: “With a database available to the National Ambulance Service, they’ll know where they are and, what we’re trying to do from there, is organise a network of first responders who’ll be on a text alert system of people who can then react in the event of an emergency.”
Mr Monaghan is hopeful, subject to funding, that the system could be even be operational by early next year and is “confident” it can work here.