Calls for council to crack down on dog fouling issue in Fermoy
Calls for Cork County Council to crack down on dog fouling in Fermoy town have been extended this week as local activist Joe Tobin claimed the issue is a ‘continuous’ one blighting the town.
“It’s all over the place, on every footpath every day of the week. The dog fouling in the town is continuous, everywhere. This issue must be addressed. Cork County Council need to get active on it and need to step up to the mark,” Mr Tobin said.
Seven fines for dog fouling offences were issued in Cork county in 2021, according to information obtained via the Freedom of Information Act by Cork City Labour representative, Peter Horgan. This represents an increase from the 2020 figures, when Cork County Council issued just two fines.
According to Mr Tobin, not enough fines are being handed out to the perpetrators.
“Seven fines is very poor in a year considering the rate that this is happening at. Fermoy Tidy Towns are doing a great job. The town is immaculate because of them, but this (dog fouling) puts a dampener on their hard work.
“We must all take responsibility for our actions and if you’re a dog owner, you need to start picking up after your dog,” Mr Tobin said.
BAGS ALSO BEING DUMPED
Chairman of Fermoy Tidy Towns and local councillor, Noel McCarthy, stated that he too has noticed an increase in dog fouling in recent times.
“It seems to be coming back a bit. We thought we had gotten the message out about personal responsibility. We will be launching something again within the Tidy Towns to get the message out,” Cllr McCarthy confirmed.
Walkers, runners, wheelchair users, those with buggies and prams, cyclists, mobility scooter users and more are affected by the issue. Dog fouling related litter was also highlighted in the town, in which people use dog-foul bags to pick up after their pet, but then proceed to dump the bag, contributing to town litter.
Fermoy Tidy Towns currently have signage erected around the town encouraging dog owners to ‘be responsible’ and ‘remember to bag it and bin it’.
ACTION IN CONNA
A similar issue has arisen recently in Conna, whereby the newly constructed footpath between the school and the village has fallen victim to instances of dog fouling.
The issue came to the attention of Conna Parents’ Association, after a post was shared about the matter in an online group set up to keep parents and guardians with children in the local school connected.
According to Parent’s Association PRO Terri Love, they have approached Cork County Council about the issue on behalf of parents who have children using the path between the village and the school.
“The committee approached the council to try and get some action on it. It is an ongoing issue in the village and we are looking forward to seeing some progress on this,” she said.
On Tuesday last, local Dog Warden, Nuala McNamara visited Conna with the dogs unit consisting of a team of approximately six people to knock on doors and check for dog licenses, while also keeping a close eye on potential perpetrators.
The dog fouling is by no means confined to these areas, with dog owners in Mitchelstown and elsewhere failing in their public duty, continuing to cause a hazard for pedestrians.
“A lot of people in the village are affected by this. It is important, every town in Ireland is complaining about it. It’s a major issue and it’s awful for people with buddies and wheelchair users,” Terri added.
It is hoped that dog fouling bins and signage in relation to dog fouling may be installed in the area in the near future.
Cllr Noel McCarthy commended local dog warden Nuala McNamara for continuing to raise awareness, this week carrying out a ‘blitz’ and calling to locals, reminding them of their responsibility as dog owners and how to properly dispose of dog waste.
“The paths in Conna were destroyed in dog foul. At the next Fermoy Tidy Towns meeting, we’re going to ask Nuala to come back to Fermoy for a blitz and to remind people of the scourge of dog fouling because it is a really really big problem,” Cllr McCarthy said.