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‘Dog foul is a huge problem!’ - Trevor Laffan
I’ve never had a dog. Never really had any interest in
having one. Taking it for walks, cleaning up after it or
trying to find a home for it while I went on holidays
wasn’t my cup of tea. But lots of people do and I can
understand that. But there are two types of dog owner.
There’s the one who looks after the dog responsibly
and then there’s the other type.

I could never understand why someone would want to
have a pet and then let it run wild around the neigh-
bourhood and roam freely. Many are released early in
the morning by their owners and allowed to run riot
until they are locked up again for the night.

Dogs aren’t the least bit embarrassed about fouling the public street, any garden
they can get in to or the common green areas where many children play and their
owners couldn’t care less either.
So, what’s the story with these irresponsible dog owners? They are plainly flout-
ing the law for one. The law states that dogs are not to be out in public without a
leash. It also states that it is an offence for the owner not to clean up after their
dog.

But whatever about the law, they obviously have no regard for their neighbours
or for the public generally. They are completely thoughtless about the impact their
darling pets are having on their community. In short, they are selfish and inconsid-
erate.

I remember as a youngster watching people toilet training their dogs. They used to
shove the dogs nose into the mess and then give them a smack. Apparently, this
made the dogs realise that they should go to the toilet somewhere else other than
the kitchen floor. Maybe we should start using that technique on these carefree
owners.

As an alternative, there is also the legal route because there is a serious side to
this dog fouling business. It can be especially dangerous for anyone with small
children.
According to Cork City Council, under Section 22 (of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997) ,
it is not an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul in a public place, how-
ever it is an offence to let your dog foul and fail to remove and dispose of the foul
subsequently. This means that you or the person in charge of your dog is required
under this law to remove dog faeces and dispose of it in a suitable and sanitary
way.

An on-the-spot fine of €150 can be imposed on the owner of a dog who fails to re-
move dog faeces from a public place, with the maximum fine for this offence being
€3,000.