IT’S everywhere you look. It’s on our footpaths, our open spaces, our grass verges and our beaches. It’s also inside our homes, schools and workplaces.
I refer, of course, to the dog dirt epidemic plaguing our communities on a daily basis.
It is next to impossible to go anywhere these days without having to navigate a course around dog excrement. It’s not the fault of our canine friends, of course. If they have to go, they have to go.
Because there’s no such thing as bad dogs – just bad, irresponsible owners and under resourced local authorities.
The problem affects us all, children and adults alike. At best it is a messy, disgusting experience, particularly when you have to clean it out of the crevices of the soles of your shoes. At worst, it can have serious health implications.
So what are the authorities doing about it? Not much, apparently.
While the laws are there to fine people for their dogs fouling our pavements, enforcement is seemingly non-existent in some areas. When was the last time you saw a dog owner being reprimanded by a council official and issued with an on-the-spot fine? I thought so. Me neither.
We’re always hearing how local authorities are struggling to fund their services. In fact, it’s one of the justifications given for the hated Local Property Tax.
So why don’t they see the financial potential of policing dog fouling as, say, they do with parking?
There’s hardly a community left in Dublin that isn’t subjected to disc parking. Much – if not all – of this revenue goes straight into the coffers of the local authorities. By extension, this helps pay for local services such as street cleaning and road maintenance.
Pay and display parking works for one simple reason – visible enforcement. The sight of a uniformed parking warden stalking our streets is more than enough to ensure that we comply with regulations.
And more often than not, if you take a chance and don’t pay for your parking, there is a very high probability that you’ll be caught and fined. We may not like it but it’s a clear deterrent.
Imagine if our local authorities put the same effort into the dog dirt problem? Every area throughout Dublin should have a uniformed inspector on the street on a daily basis. The revenue generated from the fines alone would pay his/her wages. There would also be significant environmental and health benefits.
Irresponsible, selfish, lazy, pig ignorant dog owners would think twice the next time their adorable mutts soil a footpath. Find them and fine them. Publicly name and shame them, if need be.
Maybe then – just maybe – they’ll bring a bag with them next time.