Council to clampdown on rogue dog owners abusing cemeteries
MEASURES COULD INCLUDE EXTRA PATROLS BY ‘AUTHORISED’ OFFICIALS AT MALLOW CEMETERY
A SPOKESPERSON for Cork County Council has said the authority is considering increasing patrols around St Gobnait’s Cemetery in Mallow following recent incidents involving dogs at the graveyard.
Two such recent incidents have been highlighted on the Neil Prendeville Show on Cork’s Red FM, including one where a grieving widow said she believed dogs destroyed wreaths on her recently deceased husband’s grave.
Also, speaking on the show last week, John Gould said he was visiting the grave of his wife and grandson when he saw three dogs “running all over the graveyard”.
He said that one of the dogs was doing its business on the wall of the cemetery and another one was clawing at a new grave. Mr Gould said he asked the woman to tie the dogs up, but she claimed she had permission from the caretaker to walk her dogs in the cemetery.
Mr Gould said he followed the woman while videoing her and that she kept giving him abuse and made a rude hand gesture in his direction.
“I have no problem with people bringing their dogs to the graveyard and picking up the mess the dogs might leave. This woman did not even have bags to pick up the dog mess. I could not believe what I was seeing. One of the dogs was even rooting at a new grave,” he said.
“She had more interest in what I was doing and even gave me the finger.”
Last Saturday, Mary Hobbs went to visit the grave of her recently deceased husband, Sheldon, to find that one of the wreaths on his grave had, in her own words, “been ripped to shreds” and others had also been damaged.
Mrs Hobbs told the Red FM show that claw marks, which she believed had been made by dogs, were evident on the damaged wreaths.
“It does run through your mind that it may have been birds, but I don’t think so. Not with this much damage. I know it was not a bird because I looked at other nearby graves that had flowers similar to Sheldon’s and they had not been touched,” she said.
Mrs Hobbs said she went back to the cemetery on Sunday to try to fix the wreaths, but had to throw some of the flowers away as the damage done was such that there was “no point” in trying to repair them.
“I’m going there to pray for my husband and talk to him, and then there are dogs going to the toilet on the graves,” she said in a voice cracking with emotion.
“John (Gould) was every nice compared to what I would have been if I had met that woman. I would not mind dogs being there on a lead and their owners picking up after them. If I see any dogs there off a lead with their owner, there is going to be trouble,” she said.
A spokesperson for Cork County Council said they were aware of the incidents, pointing out that bye-laws actually prohibit dogs in cemeteries under their control. The spokesperson further pointed out that fines of up to €1,000 can be imposed on dog owners for littering.
However, while caretakers at cemeteries can advise people that allow their dogs to roam free and foul graveyards, they are not actually authorised to issue fines. That can only be done by an authorised official from their environment directorate, such as a dog warden.
“The difficulty is that you have to catch something in the act and then prove the person is actually responsible for that dog. That can only be done by an authorised official. It is very difficult to identify someone after the act. Alternatively, a witness to an incident can make a written complaint that we can follow up if they are willing to testify in court,” said the spokesperson.
“We are working closely with our environment directorate with a view to increasing signage at the cemetery and taking other measures, which may include increased on-site patrols by authorised council officials to address this issue.”