Less than five dog fouling fines issued in Clare
THE NUMBER of dog fouling fines given in the last year has been revealed, with less than five being issued in Clare in 12 months.
The most recent data, gathered by National Council for Blind Ireland (NCBI), shows that 82 dog fouling fines were handed out in the country, in total, over the course of 2022.
To give comparison, 120 ‘inappropriate parking’ fines were issued last year in Clare, while only two dog fouling fines were issued in the county in 2022.
As part of NCBI’s Clear Our Paths campaign, the data collected showed that some 17 counties issued 0 dog fouling fines.
A recent survey by NCBI also found that visually impaired people said dog fouling was the third most frequent unexpected obstacle that they regularly encountered.
Madeleine McNamara alongside Deirdre Deverell with her dog Bruno, The Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste, Martina Gibney and Chris White, NCBI CEO pictured above
“It’s impractical to think that wardens could observe every single dog owner who doesn’t clean up after their dog and then issue them with a fine.
“There needs to be significant effort from the public to clean up after their pets - it’s imperative that we all work to make our footpaths usable for all members in our communities.”
Cars parked on footpaths emerged as the number one obstacle faced by respondents in the same NCBI survey. 19,000 fines were handed out in 2022 for issues around street and inappropriate parking.
“Secondly, if councils have noted over 19,000 incidents of inappropriate parking by way of a fine, can you imagine how many undetected instances there are that will pose a real risk to those living with sight loss?,” Mr Mullaniff continued.
“We’re asking everyone in Ireland to put yourself in a blind or vision impaired person’s shoes when you’re walking your pets, parking your car, putting out your bins or whatever it might be, and to act in a way that’s considerate to those people’s needs.”
NCBI recognises local councils’ efforts to support clear paths in their communities.
As part of this campaign, NCBI has created a webpage to have conversations with family members and friends about the importance of their own behaviour.