Data gathered by NCBI, as part of their Clear Our Paths campaign, shows that just 82 dog fouling fines were handed out by local councils over the course of 2022.
Information, provided by the local councils, showed that 17 councils from around the country handed out zero dog fouling fines over the course of last year.
Dog fouling is a huge issue for people who are blind or vision impaired who use our footpaths daily.
A recent NCBI survey showed that it was the third most frequent unexpected obstacle encountered by respondents.
Not only can dog fouling cause a slip hazard, but it can also be distressing for white cane users whose canes are often dirtied by faeces.
Kerry County Council had the highest number of fines with 27 and the council reported that there were two convictions related to those fines.
Three councils reported that they had not handed out any fines, while Roscommon County Council said there are no traffic wardens in the county.
Laois County Council confirmed that it had given out 96 mutt mitt dispensers to Tidy Towns groups around the county.
“NCBI recognises local councils’ efforts and challenges to support clear paths in their communities and some councils provided information about positive steps they have taken to curb the dangers posed by dog fouling in particular,” the organisation said.
Aaron Mullaniff, Chief Services Officer with NCBI said: “We would like to thank Lord Mayor Daithí de Róiste for his generous support of this important campaign.
“This new data we have gathered is a means to explain to the public the dangers of dog fouling on footpaths and the dangers of cars parked on footpaths.
“Firstly, the dog fouling data shows that councils can’t be expected to police the issue alone.
“It’s impractical to think that wardens could observe every single dog owner who doesn’t clean up after their dog and then issue them with a fine.
“There needs to be significant effort from the public to clean up after their pets in the first instance. It’s imperative that we all work to make our footpaths usable for all members in our communities.
“Secondly, if councils have noted over 19,000 incidents of inappropriate parking by way of a fine, can you imagine how many undetected instances there are that will pose a real risk to those living with sight loss?
“We’re asking everyone in Ireland to put yourself in a blind or vision impaired person’s shoes when you’re walking your pets, parking your car, putting out your bins or whatever it might be, and to act in a way that’s considerate to those people’s needs.”
As part of this campaign, NCBI has created a webpage aimed at supporting members of the public to have conversations with family members and friends about the importance of their own behaviour.
“We can all be active bystanders through our own actions and words and NCBI is asking people to start a positive conversation to encourage others to make sure our footpaths are clear and safe for everyone in our community,” they said.
NCBI’s #ClearOurPaths campaign will run across social media from August 21 to 25, highlighting the different obstacles each day.
“We encourage others to join us by sharing on their social media channels too. Together, we can garner a greater understanding among the public about the needs of people with sight loss and how unexpected obstacles can impact their daily lives.”
SEE ALSO – Pubs continue to decline across Ireland – with 12 closures in Laois since 2019
