Cork City Council issued no dog fouling fines in three years

Cork City Council has not issued a single dog fouling fine in three years, despite continued complaints, including from visually impaired pedestrians, about the dangers posed by dog waste.

New figures released by Vision Ireland show the city council issued no fines in 2025, while Cork County Council issued just one, down from 11 the previous year.

One woman who is visually impaired has said she is still affected by injuries suffered after slipping on dog fouling in the city centre two years ago.

Aisling Kane said that dog fouling is a constant issue. “I walk down Blarney street more or less every day and it’s very bad for dog fouling," she said.

“When I come home I take my shoes off outside the front door because I don’t know if I’ve stood in it or not.

“There was one very bad situation two years ago, I slipped on dog poo on Castle St and went down completely onto the footpath.

“My hip and back would still be at me every now and then because of it.” 

Ms Kane said that having more dog fouling wardens and more bins would help, but that people’s attitudes also have a role to play.

“I’m a guide dog owner, and the very odd time my own dog would need to go I pick it up, whereas fully sighted people wouldn’t.”

Parked cars the most common obstacle 

Nearly 70% of 220 blind or vision impaired people surveyed by Vision Ireland said that parked cars are the most common obstacle which blocks their route.

Cork City Council issued 1,807 fines for parking on footpaths in 2025, down from 2,347 the previous year, while Cork County Council issued 329, up from 118 in 2024.

Ms Kane said that the laneway where she lives often has five cars parked on the footpath and that she avoids going out at certain times in the evening when she knows they will be there.

She said the problem is particularly noticeable near her daughter's school at Strawberry Hill.

“The community guard has come up a few times to try and control it but two days later it’s back to the same thing," said Ms Kane.

“It can be very disorientating if I go to cross the road and there’s a car parked across the road — the dog has to go around the car and then you could end up in the middle of the road and you don’t have a clue where you are.” 

She said: “If people could just try and think before they go to park on the footpath and say it will only be two minutes.”

The figures were compiled as part of Vision Ireland's Clear Our Paths campaign, which highlights obstacles faced by blind and vision-impaired people.