“HUGE PROBLEMS” associated with dog fouling have been ongoing in Newmarket-on-Fergus for “at least twenty years,” a local representative has claimed while a voice activation system to remind owners to remove the faeces belonging to their canines is leaving Shannon residents sleepless.
Appropriate signage reminding dog owners of their responsibility to clean up after their pet is to be placed in Newmarket-on-Fergus, senior executive engineer in the Shannon Municipal District, Tom Mellett confirmed.
It follows a proposal by Cllr Pat McMahon (FF) who claimed “huge problems” with dog fouling have been “ongoing in Newmarket-on-Fergus for at least twenty years”.
He stated, “We all love dogs but I’m afraid we don’t follow through on that love when we are walking about with the condition of our footpaths. The vast majority of owners are showing a lack of foresight, they don’t realise the damage they are doing to the footpaths of Newmarket-on-Fergus, ordinary people are walking through the village going about their business and end up walking on dog’s poo and bring it back into houses, people don’t realise what children can pick up and the damage it is doing. This affects every single person”.
Summons’ relating to dog fouling in the county “are few and scarce,” McMahon commented. “I would love a survey to tell me how other countries operate, if we can learn, there are no summons or follow through in Clare,” he said.
Areas throughout South Clare are struggling with problems left by dog fouling, Cllr John Crowe (FG) observed. “I think you could extend it to all our areas, it is an absolute disaster, families are out with buggies and they are bringing it back to houses”.
Reference to the Council’s leave no trace policy was made by Mellett but according to Cllr Donna McGettigan (SF), the policy “just doesn’t cut it anymore unless you are going to follow the policy”. She credited Cllr Pat O’Gorman (FF) as the “dog detective” for his efforts to track down owners leaving behind bags of poo on the Shannon Loop Walk which has resulted in the addition of voice activation systems reminding owners to clean up.
Responsibility must be taken by dog owners, Cllr PJ Ryan (IND) stressed. “What some people don’t seem to realise, there is a major health issue for children, dog fouling can cause blindness and other serious illnesses, you can put up all the signs you like but it is down to the responsibility of people, they have to take responsibility for their own actions, that is where we fall down. They all like to take out and walk the dog but nobody likes to pick up the poo. We need to educate people on the dangers dog fouling can create for children’s health”.
Shannon’s Loop Walk is benefitting from the voice activation system, Cllr O’Gorman affirmed. He recalled queries on the amount of bins for dog poo in Lahinch and informed the meeting there was two in situ. “The signage and the voice works, it is about educating the people”.
A contrasting view was put forward by Cllr Gerry Flynn (IND) on the voice activation system. “I’ve been contacted by a lot of people in Drumgeely, they are very settled people, they want one particular system deactivated at the houses at the rear of Corrib Drive, they can’t sleep at night”. He said there is gaps of one minute and twenty seconds between the announcement with a current glitch having this on repeat rather than it coming into action based on movement. “It is a disgrace when they are put in at inappropriate places, it is located next to misfortunate people who are the pioneers of Shannon, it is causing sleepless nights”.
In response, Mellett said a limit on the amount of announcements made at night was due to be in place. “If it’s not moved, it will disappear,” Flynn warned, “it is difficult enough for people retired in an area without this disturbance”.
