Increasing the number of fines the best way to tackle dog fouling, says cork councillor

More fines for dog fouling would be a better use of funding than postering campaigns, Labour councillor Peter Horgan has said.

Mr Horgan has proposed a bylaw with a provision that dog walkers must carry items to clean up foul.

The council said that enforcement of legislation “requires that the litter warden must actually witness both the dog depositing faeces and the person in control of the dog neglecting to remove the faeces”.

In his motion, set to be heard at the next council meeting, Mr Horgan will also suggest that the council provide dog bags at high footfall locations and public parks, as is done in Cobh.

However, the council has already said there was no budget for this and that the cost “would not be inconsiderable”.

Concern

Concern has been raised about a forthcoming poster campaign featuring the slogan ‘Get your sh*t together’, with a graphic of a dog defecating in place of the letter ‘i’. The aim is to grab people’s attention and trigger behavioural change, as the council has said that securing a prosecution is “very difficult”.

Data shows no fines were issued in 2023 or 2024, the latest two years for which figures are available.

Mr Horgan said that the current system would require him to see someone not picking up after their dog, recognise them, report them, and testify against them in court.

“We have signs, but they simply aren’t working,” Mr Horgan said.

“The shock factor of these new signs might propel a conversation, and the council say it’s all about education, but it’s not four-year-olds not cleaning up after their dogs.

“Bylaws are a reserved function of the councillors; this shouldn’t be taking up legal time in the Dáil.

“Cork City Council should be a leader and remove the onus of proving a negative.”

He said that dog wardens, who operate 9am-5pm, are not working at the times people most commonly walk their dogs, and suggested that the funding for postering should be used to pay for warden overtime.