Controlling dangerous dogs - We’re far too lax

Dog fouling in public places has been raised at Cork City Council by Fianna Fáil councillor, Ken O’Flynn, who suggests, accurately, that this disgusting, antisocial behaviour is an issue right across the country.

The indifference of some dog owners to the idea of respecting shared public spaces, especially footpaths, is unacceptable.

That the city council has issued just four dog-fouling fines in 20 years points to an official apathy that is more or less a tacit endorsement of the practice. This is not the only area where the application of the law, in relation to dogs, is unacceptably lax and dangerous. The Control of Dog Regulations specify that certain breeds — weapon dogs, as they are called — must be muzzled and controlled at all times. Yet, those rules are ignored in every town and city every day.