Just three dog fouling fines issued in Laois last year

Despite a council reporting hotline, just three dog fouling fines were issued in Laois in 2022. 

Dog fouling degrades towns and villages, transmits disease and is a real problem for the visually impaired. Picking up after a dog is now the norm but a small proportion of inconsiderate dog owners don’t clean up after their dogs. They are liable to on the spot fines of €150 or court fines of up to €3,000. 

Figures obtained by the National Council for the Blind of Ireland(NCBI) show just 82 dog fouling fines were issued compared to 19,000 parking fines by councils in Ireland last year. 

The data gathered as part of NCBI’s 'Clear Our Paths' campaign showed that 18 councils didn’t issue any fines. 

In Laois three dog fouling fines were issued and there were 124 fines for parking. In neighbouring Offaly, no fines were issued for dog fouling and there were 94 parking fines. Carlow issued no fines for parking or dog fouling.

The NCBI recognised Laois County Council’s positive steps in tackling dog fouling. It was just one of four local authorities nationwide recognised by the NCBI for taking action on dog fouling. 

“Laois County Council confirmed that it had given out 96 mutt mitt dispensers to Tidy Towns groups around the county,” the NCBI noted. 

Kerry County Council had the highest number of fines with 27 and the council reported that there were two convictions related to those fines.

Dog fouling is a huge issue for people who are blind or vision impaired who use our footpaths daily. A recent NCBI survey showed that it was the third most frequent unexpected obstacle encountered by respondents. Not only can dog fouling cause a slip hazard, but it can also be distressing for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces.

Cars parked on footpaths emerged as the number one obstacle faced by respondents to our survey. NCBI recently learned that over 19,000 fines were handed out in 2022 for issues around street and inappropriate parking. Three councils reported that they had not handed out any fines, while Mayo County Council said there were no fines handed out in the Claremorris/Swinford area. Roscommon County Council said there are no traffic wardens in the county.

Parking inappropriately, especially on footpaths, causes a serious hazard for people who are blind or vision impaired. If a footpath is blocked, people with sight loss may be injured by walking into traffic to get around a vehicle, injured walking into the vehicle, or injured by stepping off kerbs in unfamiliar locations.

Lord Mayor of Dublin Daithí de Róiste is supporting this year’s ‘Clear Our Paths’ campaign with NCBI.  

“We, the general public, need to work harder to keep our paths safe for people who are blind or vision impaired. It is important that we take an extra few seconds each day to ensure that our actions do not impact the ability of people who are blind or vision impaired to get out and about safely. Please support Clear Our Paths in whatever way you can, your small gesture can make a huge difference,” he said. 

Chief Services Officer with NCBI, Aaron Mullaniff thanked Dublin’s Lord Mayor for his support. 

“This new data we have gathered is a means to explain to the public the dangers of dog fouling on footpaths and the dangers of cars parked on footpaths. Firstly, the dog fouling data shows that councils can’t be expected to police the issue alone. 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 in the first instance. It’s imperative that we all work to make our footpaths usable for all members in our communities,” he said. 

“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? 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,” Mr Mullaniff added. 

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“As part of this campaign, NCBI has created a webpage aimed at supporting members of the public to have conversations with family members and friends about the importance of their own behaviour. We can all be active bystanders through our own actions and words and NCBI is asking people to start a positive conversation to encourage others to make sure our footpaths are clear and safe for everyone in our community,” said Mr Mullaniff. 

NCBI’s #ClearOurPaths campaign will run across social media from August 21 to 25, highlighting the different obstacles each day. They encourage others to join them by sharing on their social media channels too. The webpage can be found here: https://www.ncbi.ie/policy-advocacy/latest-campaigns/clear-our-paths/