Incidents of dog fouling have been rising sharply in Letterkenny and dog owners have been warned to clean up their act.
The Mayor of the Letterkenny Municipal District, Councillor James Pat McDaid, has called for the Council to work on an action plan to reduce dog fouling and to make owners more responsible.
“There have been numerous constituents coming to me concerned about dog fouling recently,” Councillor McDaid told this month’s meeting of the Letterkenny MD.
“I saw it myself first hand last week when I was in traffic. It is an issue that is particularly bad around Oldtown and the surrounding areas. People have been onto me up the Rahan Road about the issue and it’s clear to be seen.
“I observed it last week and I felt like screwing down the window and asking the man to be more responsible.
“You have walkers, runners coming behind and it’s not nice. You’re coming in now to peak, summer season and the town is full of walkers and runners.
“It is only a small minority of dog owners who are guilty and it was actually a dog owner and walker who brought the issue to me first. I have nothing against dogs or dog owners, but I would just appeal for them all to be mindful of other road users.”
The meeting was told that Litter Wardens and local community groups have been spending time on popular walking routes talking to dog owners about the importance of cleaning up after their dogs.
While a number of poop scoop dispensers and bins have been installed in Letterkenny, Kilmacrennan, Milford, Ramelton, Kerrykeel and Downings, Councillor Michael McBride said that the number wasn’t adequate.
He said: “You have seven bins and dispensers covering the whole of Letterkenny. You would need 30 of them really. So many people have pets now, it’s surprising the volume of people. I saw it when canvassing, the amount of people who have dogs now is very high.”
