Zero tolerance needed on dog fouling

When you consider the low number of on-the-spot fines issued for dog fouling across Dublin's four local authorities last year, you'd think we didn't have a problem with this disgusting epidemic that plagues our communities.

Incredibly, only 13 fines were issued in 2014 across the city and county, despite a €10,000 campaign by the councils to raise awareness of the issue.

This summer, it's everywhere you look. It’s on our footpaths, our open spaces, our grass verges and our beaches. By extension, this means it ends up inside our homes, schools, sports clubs and workplaces.

It's next to impossible to go anywhere these days without having to navigate a course around dog excrement. It’s not the fault of our canine friends, of course. If they have to go, they have to go.

Because there’s no such thing as bad dogs – just bad, irresponsible owners with the manners and civic mindedness of rodents.

The problem affects children and adults alike. At best, it is a messy, unpleasant experience, particularly when you have to clean it out of the crevices of the soles of your shoes. At worst, it can have serious health implications and even lead to blindness. 

While the laws are there to fine people if their dogs foul in a public place, enforcement is typically non-existent in some areas. On-the-spot fines of €150 can be issued or up to €3,000 if a conviction is secured in court. But the chances of being caught are pretty slim, as last year's figures show.

When was the last time you saw a dog owner being reprimanded by a council official and issued with an on-the-spot fine?

It is curious that our local authorities don’t see the financial potential of policing dog fouling as they do, for instance, parking.

There’s hardly a community left in Dublin that isn’t subjected to disc parking. Much – if not all – of this revenue goes straight into the coffers of the local authorities. By extension, this helps pay for local services such as street cleaning and road maintenance.

Pay and display parking works for one simple reason – visibility. The sight of uniformed parking warden stalking our streets is more than enough to ensure that we comply with regulations.

And more often than not, if you take a chance and don’t pay for your parking, there is a very high probability that you’ll be caught and fined. We may not like it but it’s a clear deterrent.

Imagine if our local authorities put the same effort into the dog dirt problem? Every community in Dublin should have a uniformed dog fouling inspector on the streets on a daily basis. The revenue generated from the fines alone would pay their wages. There would also be significant environmental and health benefits.

Irresponsible, selfish, lazy, pig ignorant dog owners would think twice the next time their adorable mutts soil a footpath. Find them and fine them; publicly name and shame them.

I imagine there would be much public support for a zero tolerance approach to the issue of dog fouling. Put it on your list of demands when the general election candidates come calling in the months ahead.