James Cox
Warning messages will be broadcast from loudspeakers at dog poo black spots in Dublin to try and get owners to clean up their act.
It is part of a new awareness campaign by the city council, after a 27 per cent increase in complaints last year.
Owners can be fined €150 for not cleaning up, but just one ticket was issued in the capital in the first 11 months of last year.
Dublin City Council has launched phase two of its Dog Fouling campaign ‘Dog Poo, It’s Everybody’s Business’, to 'highlight the ongoing issue of dog fouling in our public parks and open spaces and to encourage dog owners and dog walkers to act responsibly and to pick up after their dog, as dog poo affects the whole community'.
A report from the city council included the following findings:
- 27 per cent increase in the number of complaints received in the last year.
- Seven in 10 people have walked in dog poo on the street.
- 51 per cent of people have come across dog poo in their local park.
- 96 per cent of dog owners claim to or say that they pick up their dog’s poo.
- 69 per cent of those surveyed claim they often witness dog walkers not cleaning up after their dog.
- 57 per cent of those surveyed also indicated that there is a big problem with dog fouling in their area.
- 77 per cent claimed to have walked in dog poo on the street, 64 per cent in a park, 51 per cent walked dog poo in to the house unbeknownst to themselves, 48 per cent came across dog poo in the local children’s park, 31 per cent rolled a buggy through dog poo, 33 per cent rolled a bicycle through it, 11 per cent rolled their wheelchair through it.
Behaviour and Attitudes surveyed 1,003 people as part of the survey.
Dublin City Council’s Litter Prevention Officer Bernie Lillis said: “Dog owners/walkers must be responsible, the message we want to get across is that they must clean-up after their dog.
“I am urging dog owners/walkers to be responsible and to dispose of dog waste appropriately and do not leave the doggie bag on railings or in bushes or on the streets or footpaths, instead you should ‘Bag it and Bin it’. Dog fouling is everybody’s business, it’s not a dog problem, it’s a human problem and we must all be mindful of other people who use our public spaces and to make sure they are clean and safe for them to use and so that we can all stay healthy.”
Lord Mayor of Dublin Hazel Chu said: “The issue of dog fouling has now become a major issue in our public parks and open spaces in the city. There are some people in our community who are more at risk of coming into contact with dog waste and putting their health in danger, such as; wheelchair users, visually impaired people, babies and toddlers. Whether you own a dog or not, dog poo in our public spaces affects the whole community. I am appealing to all dog owners in the city to act responsibly and pick up after their dog as dog waste affects everyone.”
