Fourteen of the 31 local authorities in the State did not issue any fines for dog fouling last year, new figures show.
A total of 48 dog fouling fines were issued across the State last year, with the highest number (11) recorded in the Cork County Council area, Cavan County Council (six) and Fingal County Council (six), data collected by Vision Ireland shows.
Local authorities in Carlow, Cork city, Donegal, Dublin city, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, Kilkenny, Leitrim, Longford, Mayo, Offaly, Tipperary, Sligo, Westmeath and Wexford did not issue any fines.
A survey carried out by Vision Ireland of 281 blind or vision impaired people found that 42 per cent of respondents were frequently impacted by dog waste in public spaces.
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The data was collected as part of the organisation’s Clear Our Paths campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the everyday obstacles faced by blind and vision impaired people.
One respondent to the survey 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.”
Some 71 per cent of respondents said cars parked on footpaths frequently block their routes.
There was a 5 per cent decrease in the number of fines issued to motorists last year for parking on footpaths, according to data provided by the local authorities to Vision Ireland, part of the National Council for the Blind of Ireland.
A total of 21,032 fines were issued to motorists for parking on footpaths, with the highest number (4,703) in the Dublin City Council area. None were issued in Co Roscommon.
More than a quarter of survey respondents identified parked cars as the number one obstacle when navigating footpaths.
One respondent said they were “trying to avoid a parked car and tripped over a protruding kerb”.
“I fell hard, injuring my hands, shins, and face. It was very sore, not to mention embarrassing.”
Kevin Kelly, head of policy and external affairs at Vision Ireland said it was unacceptable that people who are blind or vision impaired “must put themselves in danger” when forced to avoid illegally parked cars.
“The health and hygiene issues around dog waste are equally alarming,” he said.
“Fines alone are not the answer, and we urge the public to be more considerate of the needs of everyone who uses our shared spaces.”
John Hurley, a Social Democrats councillor in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown, which issued no fines for dog fouling last year, said it was almost impossible for councils to fine people over it because of “the way the system is set up”.
He suggested establishing a system that would use DNA sampling on dog faeces to “track down the actual dog” and issue their owner a fine.
Mr Hurley acknowledged this would mean “every dog in the country has to be DNA profiled”, but said legislation already mandates that dogs should have a microchip inserted.
