COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

Monday, February 13, 2017

QUESTION NO.19

QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor

To ask the Chief Executive if he is aware of the concerns of many throughout the county in respect of the menace of dog fouling in public places; will he offer advice in the matter and make a statement.

REPLY:

Failure to clean up after dog can result in humans, particularly children, becoming infected by a dog parasite that can cause blindness.  Consequently the Council shares the concerns of many throughout the county in respect of the menace of dog fouling in public places.

While under Section 22 (of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997) , it is not an offence to allow a dog under effectual control to foul in a public place,  it is an offence to let dogs foul and fail to remove and dispose of the foul subsequently.  This means that the owner or a person in charge of a dog is required under this law to remove dog faeces and dispose of it in a suitable and sanitary way.

An on-the-spot fine of €150 can be imposed on the owner of a dog who fails to remove dog faeces from a public place, with the maximum fine for this offence being €3,000.

Education and social awareness are considered important, alongside enforcement such as fines and prosecutions, which are extremely difficult to initiate. Education in its widest sense, press coverage and Council publicity help to communicate the message that dog fouling is not acceptable in public places.  Therefore the Council continues to engage in Anti Dog Litter initiatives and most recently ran a cinema and the Square Tallaght Radio campaign. This was in conjunction with the Green Dog Walker initiative and anti-dog fouling signage which continues throughout the year.

Similarly, as committed to as part of the Litter Management Plan 2015-2019, during 2016 the Council installed audio devise technology at various locations throughout the county, and dog bag dispensers were provided at 2 locations on a pilot basis and data collection & analysis was carried out at these locations.

Details on responsible dog ownership is also now being provided with all dog licences issued by the Council.