A LOCAL Councillor has voiced his concerns over a large number of dogs being in Letterkenny’s Bernard McGlinchey Town Park despite dogs being prohibited for being there.
The Council has been urged to improve signage and take whatever steps necessary to communicate to the public that dogs are not allowed in Bernard McGlinchey Town Park.
Raising the issue at Tuesday’s meeting of Letterkenny Milford Municipal District, Cllr Jimmy Kavanagh said a large number of dogs are regularly in the park, despite the ban being in place since the park opened.
He said the message is not getting through to some dog owners.
“There are large numbers of families and children who use the park with the new playground but in the past year or two, the number of dogs in the park has also increased,” said Cllr Kavanagh.
He said he does not believe owners are deliberately breaking the rules but rather that they do not know about the rule.
“People will see a dog, think it is okay and it escalated but it will only take one serious incident, one thing to go wrong, and it will damage the reputation of the park.
“Something is needed to nip this in the bud before it goes too far or a child is nipped,” said Cllr Kavanagh.
He also voiced concerns about dog fouling in a large green area in the park which is used by children.
A spokesperson for the council said a review will be carried out regarding the prominence of these signs and to establish if additional signs are required.
Donegal County Council said that a review will be carried out regarding the prominence of signage and to establish if additional signs are required.
“In addition to this an assessment will be carried out to assess what other measures will be required to discourage and prevent dog walking in the park.
“Additional options for dog walking are provided in the town, particularly in both the Ballymacool Park and Glencar Park.”
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