Councillor says dog fouling is 'out of control' and could blind children
A Donegal county councillor has said the issue of dog fouling is 'out of control'.
Michael McClafferty, made the comments at the September meeting of the Glenties Municipal District in Dungloe.
"Dog fouling is getting out of control. I have seen it firsthand in both the Creeslough and Dunfanaghy communities. Dog owners are not tidying up after themselves, and it's just not good enough.
"It only costs a couple of euro to get dog disposal bags, or go into your local chemist and buy a bag of latex gloves for €10 and dispose of the dog litter that way," said McClafferty.
The Independent councillor also believes Donegal County Council needs to do more in terms of educating the public on the threat that is posed by a toxin in dog faeces, that in some cases can cause permanent blindness in children.
"What people also need to understand is the fact that dog faeces can carry a roundworm infection called toxicariasise. It can cause permanent blindness, and people are not aware of it.
"It really is a serious matter, and if we don't take matters into our hands then we do really run the risk of really young children touching it, because they are playful by nature, and that's what they do - and they could put their hands up to their face, mouth, and eyes, and that could lead them to have permanent blindness," said McClafferty.
McClafferty again stressed the need for greater individual responsibility, and reiterated that there's just absolutely no excuse for it.
"It's not a nice situation, and there is no need for it at all. In many ways, there's probably never been more ways to dispose of dog waste but for some reason people are just letting their dogs foul where they want, and it's just not acceptable."
McClafferty has called on the council to provide more red bins, which is specifically provided for dog waste, and has called for more signage and strong media campaigns to really hammer home the message.
"We need more signage, and we really do need to clamp down and get heavy handed with these people who are consistently allowing their dogs to litter where they want. In areas such as Kilmacrennan and Milford, there are a lot of red bins that are there to dispose of dog litter.
"Those red bins are also in Ards Forest Park, and lots of dogwalkers seem to avail of them, as it doesn't appear to be an issue in Ards Forest Park, and that's a very popular walkway. We need to educate the public, and it's younger people that we need to target. We really need to engage in a strong media campaign to highlight just how serious an issue this is," said McClafferty.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.