COMHAIRLE CONTAE ÁTHA CLIATH THEAS
SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
MEETING OF SOUTH DUBLIN COUNTY COUNCIL
Monday, March 13, 2023
QUESTION NO.18
QUESTION: Councillor C. O'Connor
To ask the CEO to detail the number of Fines issued in 2022 in respect of matters relating to dogs and will he make a statement?
REPLY:
In 2022 there were 28 fines issued in respect of matters relating to dogs broken down as follows:
| Act/Regulations | Section/Article | Description | no. Fines |
| Control of Dogs Acts 1986 and 1992 | Section 2 | keeping a dog without a licence | 1 |
| Section 9 | not keeping a dog under effectual control | 25 | |
| Control of Dogs Regulations 1998 | Article 5 | relates to muzzling and leashing restricted breeds | 1 |
| Litter Pollution Act 1997 | Section 22 | relates to dog fouling | 1 |
South Dublin County Council currently employs two full time Dog Wardens within the administrative area.
The Dog Warden Service encourages responsible dog ownership and continually promotes the benefits of microchipping dogs and how this will assist in reuniting dog owners with their dogs if lost or worse stolen. Last year 496 stray and surrendered dogs were dealt with by the wardens, happily 127 dogs were reunited with their owners and a further 348 had been rehomed by the end of the year.
As part of their enforcement role under the Control of Dogs Act, the Dog Wardens will:
- Respond to complaints relating to dogs not under effectual control and/or dangerous dogs, including incidents of sheep worrying.
- Carry out licence checks and initiate enforcement proceedings if necessary
- Collect unwanted and stray dogs
Under Section 22 of the Litter Pollution Act 1997, where faeces has been deposited by a dog in any place to which the section applies, the person in charge of the dog shall immediately remove the faeces and shall ensure that it is properly disposed of in a suitable sanitary manner.
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. In the absence of such testimony, fines cannot be issued. The Council continues to encourage residence groups and/or individuals to assist the Litter Warden Service in this regard.