Provision of extra “doggie poo bins” has been requested for Lisdoonvarna.

While acknowledging the importance of personal responsibility, Cllr Joe Garrihy (FG) called on Clare County Council to provide “doggie poo bins in and around the town of Lisdoonvarna”.

Additional signage and enforcement is also needed across the West Clare Municipal District as personnel and their canines flouting the regulations are “destroying pavements and walkways”.

Public campaigns have been launched in relation to dog fouling, senior executive engineer in the environment section of the Council, Brendan Flynn stated. Social media awareness campaigns will also continue. “These campaigns will also be promoted through our Greener Clare programme and in print in the Clare Echo’s weekly green page. Dog poo can be bagged and put in any public waste bin or taken home of and disposed of in any waste bin. The Environment Section will work with the MD in relation to reviewing the signage,” he added.

Random spot checks are to be completed with fines to be issued where relevant, he confirmed. “We aim to be proactive in this regard and educate people as to their responsibilities and the health implications of dog fouling”.

Speaking at a recent meeting of the West Clare MD, Cllr Garrihy believed that the issue became “very pronounced during COVID with the devil and his mother deciding to have a dog”. Owners are not controlling their dogs, he felt. Adults walking in scenic areas “in the main” are responsible for leaving their dog’s waste behind, the Lisdoonvarna native claimed.

Personal responsibility of owners to step up were reinforced by Cllr Cillian Murphy (FF). “The best PR and marketing is when someone gets fined and the word gets around that people are getting fined. There is no consequences at the moment for not picking up after your dog or yourself”.