Support dog moved from Magilligan Prison after external threat

A support dog at Magilligan Prison in County Londonderry has been moved after a "callous and calculated external threat" to harm the dog, in an attempt to embarrass the governor, the Northern Ireland Prison Service said. Bailey, a three-and-a-half-year-old spaniel, had been used to help rehabilitate inmates.

The dog was acquired from a family who could no longer look after him earlier this year and was used in the prison without any prior training, according to Causeway Coast Dog Rescue. A protest about Bailey's welfare took place outside the prison on Monday.

In a statement, a Prison Service spokesperson said: "A perfectly happy and well looked after dog at Magilligan Prison has had to be moved after the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) made us aware of a callous and calculated external threat to say that Bailey was going to be harmed in an attempt to embarrass the governor." They said the welfare of Bailey has always been and "will always be the service's priority". "He was safe and cared for when he was living at Magilligan, he is safe and being cared for now," the spokesperson added.

The charity Causeway Coast Dog Rescue had campaigned to have Bailey removed from the prison. On Monday the group’s Tara Cunningham told BBC News NI that Bailey had gone "straight from a family home whose circumstances meant they could no longer keep him" and he went straight to the prison. "We want confirmation that Bailey has been withdrawn from this project permanently," she said. She said the charity wanted to see a proposal for Bailey's long-term care. "We want to understand what safeguards are going to be reviewed and put in place for all dogs in prisons in Northern Ireland," she added.

The Prison Service also stressed the broader value of working dogs in custody settings. "The benefits of dogs providing emotional support is widely recognised. In prison environments dogs can offer support to people with poor mental health and addiction issues, help promote positive changes in behaviour and reduce stress and anxiety." It noted that dogs are utilised in prisons across these islands for this purpose and have been supporting prisoners in Northern Ireland for over 20 years. The statement concluded that the current challenges facing the Prison Service are well documented and that the issue and level of inaccurate and sensationalist reporting surrounding it has been an unnecessary distraction.