Creative ideas needed to tackle Cork's dog fouling scourge

The public is being encouraged to submit ideas to tackle dog fouling which is a growing issue in Cork.

In 2018 a total of 20 fines were issued for Dog Fouling in the Southern region and just two were issued in 2017.

East Cork Councillor Danielle Twomey said the issue of dog fouling had gotten a lot worse in recent years and more needed to be done to incentivise owners to pick up after their pet.

Ms Twomey said she did not think Cork County Council were giving the issue the resources it required and asked members of the public to give the problem some thought and submit suggestions to the council about how to combat it.

“I think the council don’t really know what to do and also they are not tackling the issue head-on, the same way other councils are.

“Other councils have introduced bye-laws and for them to come back and say that they haven’t introduced any bye-laws and they don’t intend on introducing any bye-laws shows me that they have very little dedication to engaging with the problem and it is a huge problem.” Ms Twomey said in her area in East Cork it is everywhere. “There is no avoiding it. Like if I take the buggy out, nine times out of ten, it's on the wheel, then you are bringing it into the house and that is a health and safety issue.

“It is so bad, it really is unavoidable on footpaths and also on green areas where kids are playing. It’s rife there as well, kids are coming back with it on their clothes and their shoes.” 

Ms Twomey said that the council should look at imposing higher fines and putting more wardens on the street to tackle the problem.