Council on a roll to wipe out dog poop issue

The seemingly perpetual issues of dog fouling on roads and footpaths was on the Cavan County Council agenda.
Tabled by Cathaoirleach Madeleine Argue, the question was asked in relation to the management of dogs in public, on leads and without muzzles.
“It can be very intimidating,” Cllr Argue (FG) said, noting how in public parks dogs can often be found away from their owners and this can be “frightening” for young children.
Fellow Fine Gaelers Paddy Smith added that dog owners can often be found “ignoring” signs to clean up after their pets, adding his belief that bye-laws be “tightened up again”.
Such is the contentiousness of the subject that there was no shortage of eager speakers.

Wheelchairs

Fianna Fáil’s Shane P O’Reilly offered his support, saying it was a “serious” problem where families pushing buggies, and wheelchair users, were faced with an almost daily task of avoiding dog dirt on footpaths.
“It’s not right,” he said, remembering a comment made previously that “dogs can’t read signs”.
For Sinn Féin’s Paddy McDonald however, his focus was on feral cats in Bailieboro. He told the meeting that people are in some cases now afraid to “leave their windows open” for fear of unwelcome feline guests.
“I don’t know if there is something that can be done about cats but there should be,” he said.
Director of Services Joe McLoughlin admitted he had not expected to field questions on cats: “If you were looking for an answer to day on that you're barking up the wrong tree,” he jested, to laughter in the chamber.
For the rest, he said much was already governed under current legislation. He said that education was the best way forward, and that the council had invested in a newly launched ‘Save our Soles’ campaign.
The provision of more dog foul bins is also on the cards, as is signage, and he said initiatives like these are better ways to dealing with the issue than enforcement.