Data reveals Donegal County Council had zero dog fouling fines in 2024

Data gathered by Vision Ireland has revealed that just 48 dog fouling fines were issued by Local Authorities in 2024 - including zero in Donegal.

Dog fouling is a public safety issue and can pose health concerns for both children and adults. People who are blind or vision impaired and use mobility aids are particularly at risk. All this week, Vision Ireland’s Clear Our Paths campaign is raising awareness of everyday obstacles faced on footpaths, including dog waste, and is urging the public to take action.

To mark Clear Our Paths, a survey of 281 people who are blind or vision impaired explored the issue of footpath obstacles. Vision Ireland found that 42% of respondents were impacted by dog waste in public spaces on a frequent basis. Not only does dog fouling present a slipping hazard, but it can also be a major problem for white cane users whose canes are dirtied by faeces. When folded up, this poses a hygiene and health risk.

Donegal County Council issued 417 fines for motorists parking on footpaths in 2024. Yet, strikingly, the local authority did not issue a single fine for dog fouling during the same period.

The figures, released by local authorities nationwide, show Donegal among a number of counties where enforcement of dog fouling laws remains non-existent, despite widespread public complaints about the issue.

By contrast, Dublin City Council recorded the largest number of fines for footpath parking, with 4,703 issued last year, followed by Cork City (2,347) and Limerick (2,125). In Donegal, the 417 fines for footpath parking stand out as a sign of active enforcement, but the absence of dog fouling penalties reflects a broader trend across rural councils.

Nationally, just a handful of councils reported any dog fouling fines: Cavan (6), Fingal (6), Kildare (4), Laois (3), Roscommon (2), Kerry (2), and several others with single-digit figures. Many councils, like Donegal, reported zero enforcement in this area.

Respondents to the survey provided insights into the effect dog fouling has on their day-to-day life. One person said: “Dog fouling gets all over my cane and shoes, and a lot of the time I don’t realise. If I’m folding up my cane, it will get on my hands which is embarrassing and disgusting, and it would be much easier if an owner picks up after their dog”. Vision Ireland are imploring dog owners to act responsibly and consider other users of shared footpaths, including people who are blind or vision impaired.

Councils are tasked with tackling the scourge of dog fouling, but overall an extremely low – and seemingly decreasing – number of fines are issued to people for not cleaning up after their dogs. Fines totalled 48 and 46 in 2024 and 2023 respectively, both a significant decrease from the 82 fines issued in 2022. Cork County Council led the way in 2024 with 11 fines, while most Local Authorities issued just one or two. Fourteen Local Authorities – almost half of the total – issued zero fines for dog fouling last year.

Cars parked on footpaths also pose hazards and affect the ability of people who are vision impaired to navigate public spaces. 71% of survey respondents said that parked cars frequently block their route when using a path. Furthermore, 26% of people identified parked cars as the number one obstacle which causes them the greatest difficulty when navigating footpaths. There is a considerable safety risk involved when a parked car requires someone to step off the footpath and onto the roadway, into traffic.

Survey respondents gave detail on the level of impact parked cars can have. One person wrote: “Parked cars outside a local school prevent me from going to appointments early in the morning and in late afternoon. When I’m out, I have to take this into consideration for my return journey”. Another respondent recalled: “I was trying to avoid a parked car and tripped over a protruding curb. I fell hard, injuring my hands, shins, and face. It was very sore, not to mention embarrassing”.

Data provided by Local Authorities to Vision Ireland revealed that 21,032 fines were issued to motorists last year for parking on footpaths.