Louth County Council issue statement on dog fouling stencils

Louth County Council have issued a statement this afternoon in relation to dog fouling and their 'Colourful Stencil' initiative

It reads as follows:

Over the past twenty years great strides have been made in tackling the issue of dog fouling in public places. We are down to a small percentage of people who don’t pick-up after their dog. Over this same period the issue of litter has been addressed, with awareness raised by the National Tidy Towns Competition, Irish Business Against Litter League and Louth County Council’s local awareness initiatives. 

The Colourful Stencil initiative by Louth County Councils’ Litter Management team aims to raise public awareness to tackle irresponsible dog owners that do not clean up after their dog in public places. 

“This is a simple yet effective initiative” says Catherine Duff, Director of Service and was introduced in County Louth following its successful roll out in other local authorities, throughout Ireland and the UK. It is a great way to deliver an important message in a friendly and positive way”. 

This highly visual, high impact signage campaign aims to get the attention of the few remaining dog owners who fail to abide by the rules of responsible dog ownership and to generally raise awareness. 

We have targeted areas where dogs are normally walked and where dog fouling has been causing a nuisance. We have in the last few months introduced the stencils in eleven locations throughout the county including Dunleer, Ardee, Clogherhead, Termonfeckin, Tenure, Tullyallen, Collon and most recently in Blackrock, Greenore, Carlingford and Omeath. 

The Council Litter Wardens regularly engage in five hour foot patrols in parks and popular dog walking areas. They ask walkers if they have a poo bag and, if not, they will offer them one. Litter Wardens also erect signage, spray stencils, distribute leaflets to homes and arrange for the emptying of dog foul bins. 

Dog waste is not just smelly and unsightly. It can pose a health risk for people, especially children and also for pets. In addition, it can cause serious pollution problems for our water courses. . Dog owners should always clean up after their dogs and dispose of their pet waste properly. Louth County Council is keen to remind the public that you don’t need a special bin to dispose of pet waste, it can be put in any bin as long as it is bagged properly. 

One pile of pet waste might not seem like a lot; however, thousands of dogs live in Louth, generating large amounts of waste throughout the county every day. When not disposed of properly, this waste washes into local waterways and causes problems with human and pet health such as giardia; roundworms; salmonella; other viruses and parasites impacting on water quality and reducing oxygen for fish. 

The Council is keen to raise awareness of the issues around dog fouling and has dealt with 41 complaints in the last three months resulting in 7 fines being issued. Ms. Duff added:

“The Council would welcome more members of the public coming forward with details of the owners of dogs who are causing this problem in our public places as this would lead to greater compliance and a better place for us all to live “ 

Dog owners or handlers who do not dispose of dog waste in a responsible way could receive an on the spot fine of €150 and failure to pay this fine can lead to prosecution in the District Court with a maximum fine of €3,000.