Cork County Council leads the country in dog fouling fines

By Peter McCarthy, Corkman

Cork County Council issued the most fines for dog fouling among the country’s 31 local authorities in 2024 while Cork City Council, along with 13 other local authorities, didn’t issue any at all.

Cork County Council topped last year’s list with 11 dog fouling fines, almost a quarter of the total for the whole country (48 fines). Nationally, the number of fines has dropped significantly since 2022 when 82 were issued.

The data was collected by Vision Ireland, the country’s leading sight loss charity, as part of its Clear Our Paths campaign, which aims to raise awareness of obstacles on footpaths.

Vision Ireland surveyed 281 people who are blind or vision impaired and found that 42% of respondents were impacted by dog waste in public spaces on a frequent basis.

Not only does dog fouling present a slipping hazard, but it can also be a major problem for white cane users whose canes are dirtied by faeces. When folded up, this poses a hygiene and health risk.

“Dog fouling gets all over my cane and shoes, and a lot of the time I don’t realise. If I’m folding up my cane, it will get on my hands which is embarrassing and disgusting, and it would be much easier if an owner picks up after their dog,” one respondent to the survey said.

Dog owners are legally obliged to pick up their dog’s faeces and dispose of them in a sanitary manner or else face a €150 on-the-spot fine from local authority wardens.

Cars parked on footpaths is another issue that seriously impacts the ability of people who are vision impaired to navigate public spaces. Some 71% of survey respondents said that parked cars frequently block their route when using a path while 26% said it’s the number one obstacle they face.

A total of 21,032 fines were issued nationally to motorists last year for parking on footpaths with Dublin City Council leading the way (4,703 fines issued) followed by Cork City Council (2,347).

“Parked cars outside a local school prevent me from going to appointments early in the morning and in late afternoon. When I’m out, I have to take this into consideration for my return journey,” one respondent said.

Vision Ireland is urging the public to be more considerate of the needs of everyone who uses shared spaces.