Doo diligence on dog fouling as covert poo patrol hits Cork streets

Cork City Council’s litter wardens will carry out 'out-of-hours enforcement activities' in areas of the city which have been identified as dog-fouling blackspots

The trial undercover operations will seek to identify ‘habitual abusers’ in an effort to encourage them to take responsibility for cleaning up after their dog. Picture: Denis Minihane.

Undercover dog poo patrols are planned in Cork City as part of a new campaign to tackle dog fouling.

Cork City Council’s litter wardens will report for duty in civilian clothes to carry out “out-of-hours enforcement activities” in areas of the city which have been identified as dog-fouling blackspots.

The city council’s director of operations David Joyce said the trial undercover operations will seek to identify "habitual abusers" in an effort to encourage them to take responsibility for cleaning up after their dog.

“It will be a mix of education and fines – a carrot and stick approach. Our goal is not to issue as many fines as possible. Our goal is to have clean streets and if we can achieve this through education, we will do that, but if we have to issue fines, we will do that too,” he said.

Section 22 of the Litter Pollution Acts 1997-2009 requires that a person in charge of a dog shall immediately remove dog faeces from a public place or face an on-the-spot litter fine of €150. The maximum court fine is €3,000. 

But it emerged last year that not a single dog fouling fine had been issued in Cork City since 2017, and that just four fines had been issued since the act was introduced in 1997.

Warden must observe faeces being deposited

Officials say enforcement is tricky, given that the act requires that a litter warden must observe faeces being deposited by a dog and must also observe the person in charge of the dog failing to remove it.

Mr Joyce said this new undercover approach is just one element in a suite of measures to support Lord Mayor Joe Kavanagh’s Keep Cork Clean campaign.

Earlier this year, Mr Kavanagh and the council’s ‘Dog Fouling Committee’ launched an anti-dog-fouling awareness campaign, which focused on encouragement and education, with a radio ad and a bus shelter ad campaign promoting responsible dog ownership.

The council has also introduced two successful dog walking routes – in Mayfield and near the Lough. More are planned if funding can be sourced.