Kerry County Council is teaming up with local schools to draw attention to the issue of dog fouling.

The initiative will be run through the Green Schools Programme and will involve students patrolling areas near their schools, spraying any dog faeces found with temporary bright yellow spray paint, thereby highlighting the prevalence of the problem.

“Dog fouling damages the aesthetic value of our shared public spaces, and is a nuisance that undermines our outdoor experience, particularly for vulnerable members of society such as children, those with visual impairments, and wheelchair users,” said Breda Moriarty, Environmental Awareness Officer with Kerry County Council.

“But dog fouling also carries a more serious risk. Dog faeces is harmful to people’s health as it can contain dangerous parasites and bacteria,” she added.

Kerry County Council is urging dog owners to take responsibility by picking up after their dogs and reducing the amount of dog faeces being left in public spaces. Speaking at St Brigid’s Secondary School this week, Breda Moriarty reminded dog owners of their responsibilities.

“The schools involved in this campaign will assist in highlighting the problem, but we want to see dog owners take responsibility by picking up after their pets. We hope that this campaign will change attitudes to dog fouling and lead to an overall reduction in the phenomenon.”

A similar initiative was run by Galway City Council recently and it resulted in a 50% reduction in dog fouling.

Under the Litter Pollution Act 1997, dog owners are legally obliged to clean up after their pets if they foul in public places, with owners who fail to do so facing fines of €150. Non-payment of these initial fines can prove even more costly, carrying penalties of up to €3,000 on conviction.

In 2022, Kerry County Council processed the highest number of fines for instances of dog fouling of any local authority.