COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL

South Dublin County Council Crest

MEETING OF RATHFARNHAM/TEMPLEOGUE-TERENURE AREA COMMITTEE

Tuesday, April 09, 2019

QUESTION NO.7

QUESTION: Councillor D. Looney

"To ask the Chief Executive if he will organise for more patrols by the litter wardens at Greentrees Park (8 Acres and 5 Acres) and Beechfield Park to deal with the ongoing issues at these locations with dog fouling; if he will organise for the erection of anti-dog fouling signage or audio messaging at these locations; if he will organise for Green Dog Walkers promotions at these locations; and to make a statement on the matter."

REPLY:

Litter Wardens with specific authorisation under the Litter Pollution Act 1997 as amended, regularly patrol parks and areas where it is perceived that there is a proliferation of dog litter. 

Section 22 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, as amended (the Act), states that ....."the person in charge of a dog is subject to a fine or prosecution if he/she does not immediately remove any faeces deposited by their dog in certain places, and/or if that person fails to ensure that the dog litter is properly disposed of in a suitable sanitary manner".

As previously outlined, the difficulty with enforcement of Section 22 is the requirement for witness testimony, to report that the offence happened and that an identified person is the person in charge of the dog. Similarly, given the stance of our parks and open spaces it is not possible for personnel to be at particular location(s) as fouling incident arises. 

Dog Litter Signage (3 different designs) are available and requests for signage are considered. Throughout the year dog litter signs are erected within the county by Council personnel and similarly, signage is provided directly to Councillors / Registered / Residents Groups for distribution and erection with the caveat that such signage erected must have due regard for public health and safety, and must no impede visibility or restrict traffice, cycling and pediestrian flow. Also, if it is proposed to co-use a pole, authorisation will be required.

There are total of 3 (three) anti dog-fouling signs erected on poles near the entrances to Beechfield Park and 1 (one) at the rear entrance on Cherryfield Road. There is also additonal signage in the surrounding areas. Likewise, in Greentrees there are 3 (three) signs on Limekiln Lane and 4 (four) in the surrounding area.

The Green Dog Walker (GDW) initiative is promoted on an ongoing basis through, but not limited to, social media campaigns and promotional material at popup stands in Council's public buildings. As the Green Dog Walker initiative is a community led initiative a GDW pop up stand has also been made available to community groups for use at community events, which a number of groups have already availed of. Community groups in this area are also welcome to avail of the GDW, pop-up stand and other promotional materials.