I’ve never had a dog. Never really had any interest in having one. Taking it for walks, cleaning up after it or trying to find a home for it while I went on holidays wasn’t my cup of tea. But lots of people do and I can understand that. But there are two types of dog owner. There’s the one who looks after the dog responsibly and then there’s the other type.
I could never understand why someone would want to have a pet and then let it run wild around the neighbourhood. I live in a small estate and there are quite a few dogs both large and small roaming freely. They are released early in the morning by their owners and allowed to run riot until they are locked up again for the night.
There are a couple of small yokes living near me who leave their house at about 7.30am most mornings. They park themselves outside my gate for most of the day and bark constantly, mostly at nothing. After a while the constant yapping starts to grate on the nerves. They are often visited by other mutts who don’t understand what the small things are barking at but decide to join in anyway.
There are other dogs, large by the sound of them, not too far away who also like to have a barkfest at all hours of the day and night. And barking is not all that they do. They don’t seem to be the least bit embarrassed about fouling any garden they can get in to or the common green areas. During the summer time I cut some of the grass in these areas so I have regularly seen the evidence for myself. This is not only happening in my back yard, it seems to be a national issue.
So what’s the story with these irresponsible dog owners? They are plainly flouting the law for one. The law states that dogs are not to be out in public without a leash. It also states that it is an offence for the owner not to clean up after their dog. But whatever about the law, they obviously have no regard for their neighbours or for the public generally. They are completely thoughtless about the impact their darling pets are having on their community. In short, they are selfish and inconsiderate.
I remember as a youngster watching people toilet training their dogs. They used to shove the dogs nose into the mess and then give them a smack. Apparently this made the dogs realise that they should go to the toilet somewhere else other than the kitchen floor. Maybe we should start using that technique on these carefree owners.
As an alternative, there is also the legal route because there is a serious side to this dog fouling business. It can be especially dangerous for anyone with small children.
According to Cork City Council, under Section 22 (of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997) , it is not an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul in a public place, however it is an offence to let your dog foul and fail to remove and dispose of the foul subsequently. This means that you or the person in charge of your dog is required under this law to remove dog faeces and dispose of it in a suitable and sanitary way.
An on-the-spot fine of €150 can be imposed on the owner of a dog who fails to remove dog faeces from a public place, with the maximum fine for this offence being €3,000.
Failure to clean up after your dog can result in humans, particularly children, becoming infected by a dog parasite that can cause blindness. The parasite is a worm called Toxocara canis that passes its eggs in the dogs’ stools. Toxocara is a roundworm which infects dogs in Ireland. It is rare for a dog, especially a young pup, not to be troubled by worms at some stage. Even in dogs that are regularly wormed can still carry some of these worms. The worm lives in the dog’s intestine and its eggs are passed in the dog’s stools.
Toxocariasis is an infection which humans can pick up as a result of coming into contact with the eggs contained in the dog’s stools. Although usually a mild infection in humans, Toxocariasis can have potentially serious health effects such as blindness. This is rare BUT it can and does happen.
The Toxocarra eggs have to be ingested (i.e. taken into the mouth and swallowed) before someone can catch the infection. This could happen if a person handles soil, sand or any other material that is contaminated with dog stools and subsequently has direct contact with the mouth before hand-washing. Gardens, play areas and public parks are likely sites for contamination with dog stools.
So there is a genuine cause for concern apart from the fact that it is particularly unpleasant to look at. The Control of Dogs Act 1986 requires owners to be over the age of sixteen years, they must licence the animal every year, keep them under control in public places, accompany their dogs at all times and prevent the nuisance of excessive barking.
So in short we seem to have lots of rules and regulations governing the control of dogs in public places. Rules about pooping, barking, cleaning poop and not being allowed to run wild in public. On the other hand we have an abundance of dogs roaming freely all across the land, pooping and barking at will. Maybe it’s time to start asking a few questions.