But so far this year, Dublin City Council has only issued two fines for dog fouling, according to a council spokesperson.
R.J. Buckler said he notices dog poo more now that he’s a dad.
“You're bringing your kid to school,” he said. “The path becomes a minefield.”
When his kids were smaller and he used to push them in prams, he ran right into it sometimes, he said.
“You can't really always see what's ahead of you, what you're pushing it into,” he said. “And so you can wind up tracking it everywhere.”
He said they’ve had bad times at his house. He can laugh now but it wasn’t funny at the time, he says.
“I've seen, you know, kids fall into it and step in it,” he said. “Just yesterday, I saw a kid completely wipe out in a giant pile on the playground.”
Buckler says he’s lived in a few places, and he thinks Inchicore, these days, is the worst he’s seen when it comes to dog poo.
To push more people to pick up their dogs’ poos, the council recently hired a contractor to paint more than 200 notices onto footpaths in the city, warning owners of the fines they could face if they don’t pick up after their dogs: €150.
But so far this year, the council has issued only two fines for dog fouling, according to a Dublin City Council spokesperson.
In recent months, the council hired a contractor, at a cost of €27,612, to stencil 236 signs onto the ground saying “Do your duty, or €150 fine”, a council spokesperson said.
“The locations chosen were black spots for dog fouling as highlighted by the Area Offices and Environmental Liaison Officers,” the spokesperson said.
Has the council evaluated the effectiveness of dog-fouling notices in changing behaviour?
“The campaign has definitely highlighted and heightened awareness around the responsibilities of cleaning up after your dog, some people will always clean up after their dogs but unfortunately not all dog owners are responsible,” the council spokesperson said.
The council has 15 litter wardens, and their duties include enforcing dog fouling rules, he said.
Between 2020 and 2025 so far, the council has issued 10 fines for dog fouling, the spokesperson said – including two in 2025.
In the past, council officials have said that issuing fines for dog fouling can be very challenging.
Catching a small number of people spread out across the city, who might be leaving their dog’s poo on ground and walking away at any time of day is tough, council executive manager Derek Kelly told an environment committee meeting last year.
“We can’t be everywhere all the time,” Kelly said.
And even if a council staff member happens upon someone who is walking away with their dog from a steaming pile of poo, it’s hard to fine them.
“It’s extremely challenging to try and take any enforcement action,” council litter prevention officer Bernie Lillis said. To do it council staff have to get gardaí to come along with them, she said.
“Because if we approach a dog owner or a dog walker who hasn’t cleaned up after their dog they do not cooperate with us and that’s putting it very mildly to be honest with you,” she said.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme.
"You have the real extreme version, you close it off. But again, locals have been going to the beach for decades … they’re not the ones that get into the accidents there. It's mainly tourists."
Researchers say the role of crowdfunding platforms in the spread of harmful ideologies is largely overlooked.
“How this has been managed is an absolute joke,” said a frustrated Lord Mayor Ray McAdam.
But why are so many of them in the south-east area of Pembroke? asked one councillor.
