DONEGAL County Council issued just one fine for dog fouling offences in 2021 and zero in the first ten months of 2022.
Data obtained under the Freedom of Information Act revealed the local authority issued no fines for dog fouling offences between January and October 2022, and just one in the 12 months prior to that.
A spokesperson for Donegal County Council said that while it does carry out patrols, identifying errant owners can be difficult.
“Donegal Council’s litter warden team regularly patrol and survey areas and use it as an opportunity to remind dog walkers of their responsibilities.
“This proactive awareness work is used as a preventative measure by engaging dog owners and these patrols can also detect offences.
“The detection of an offence, where the owner of the dog can be identified, can result in an on the spot litter fine of €150. However, identifying the responsible owners can be challenging.
“Donegal County Council will continue to raise awareness of the issue of dog fouling and the responsibility of dog owners to clean up after their dogs.
“Over the past number of years Donegal County Council has distributed ‘poop scoop’ bags free of charge to the public and promotes the ‘any bag, any bin’ campaign, encouraging dog owners to use any bag and that dog waste can be disposed of in any of the large network of litter bins provided.
“Dog walkers are not confined to just using dog waste disposal bins, they are encouraged to use any of the litter bins provided.
“This campaign has been highlighted through a number of means, including, a video on social media, eye-catching stencilling on paths and pavements.
“Other work raising awareness of the dog fouling issue has been the development of different styles of signage for use on road verges, poles and other public areas such as beaches,” the spokesperson explained further.
“All of these efforts are aimed at preventing dog fouling from occurring.”
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