Councillors cry foul over dog litter

“I don’t know if it’s horses or dogs but whatever is leaving it behind it’s a disgrace,” the chairperson of Cootehill Municipal District Council told a recent meeting, when the issue of dog litter on footpaths pet owners was raised. 

Fine Gael’s Carmel Brady said the East Cavan town was blighted by dog fouling at the present time and the issue had been raised as a matter of concern by many families, particularly with regard to wheelchair users attending the nearby Holy Family School and Drumlin House facilities.
Her comments at the Cootehill’s newly refurbished council offices were supported by fellow elected members present. Among them, Fianna Fáil’s Clifford Kelly and Niamh Smyth, both of whom raised similar issues in their respective towns of Kingscourt and Bailieborough, and implored the council executive to take action on enforcement.
“Just one or two [prosecutions], that’s all that’s needed to make an example,” Cllr Kelly told the meeting when the difficult issue of catching people was discussed.
He added that dog litter on the Main Street was also a major issue for local businesses not just in the Bailieborough-Cootehill Municipal District area, but throughout the county. Cllr Smyth suggested, as has been done elsewhere, that the county could adopt a scheme whereby plastic bags would be provided in areas on the street for owners to dispose responsibly of their pet’s litter. It was further suggested that the town of Cootehill would be a perfect location if such a pilot scheme were to be rolled out nationwide.