Under litter laws (section 22 of the Litter Pollution Act, 1997), it is an offence to allow a dog under your control to foul a public place. This means the owner/person in charge of the dog is required under this law to remove dog faeces and dispose of it in a suitable, sanitary manner.
An on-the-spot fine of €150 can be imposed on the owner of a dog who fails to remove dog faeces from a public place, with the maximum fine for this offence being €3,000.
Offaly County Council has provided Mutt-mitts (a disposable bag/glove) for picking up dog faeces after your dog in popular dog-walking locations across the county.
Remember that having picked up after your dog you are required to dispose of it responsibly, by putting it in a suitable bin and not discarding it along your route.
Irresponsibly discarded bags of dog waste also pose a threat to the health and welfare of livestock and wildlife so please use the bins provided for disposal.
Failure to clean up after your dog can result in humans, particularly children, becoming infected by a dog parasite that can cause blindness. The parasite is a worm called Toxocara canis that passes its eggs in the dogs’ faeces.
What is Toxocara canis?
Toxocara is a roundworm which infects dogs in Ireland. It is rare for a dog, especially a young pup, not to be troubled by worms at some stage. Even in dogs that are regularly wormed can still carry some of these worms. The worm lives in the dog’s intestine and its eggs are passed in the dog’s stools.
What is Toxocariasis?
Toxocariasis is an infection which humans can pick up as a result of coming into contact with the eggs contained in the dog’s faeces.
Although usually a mild infection in humans, Toxocariasis can have potentially serious health effects such as blindness. This is rare BUT it can and does happen.
How might someone catch it?
The Toxocarra eggs have to be ingested (i.e. taken into the mouth and swallowed) before someone can catch the infection.
This could happen if a person handles soil, sand or any other material that is contaminated with dog faeces and subsequently has direct contact with the mouth before hand-washing.
Gardens, play areas and public parks are likely sites for contamination with dog feaces. Children’s sandboxes frequently offer attractive sites for dogs to “relieve themselves”.
Remember always dispose of your dog’s waste responsibly.