Nearly 20 complaints made about dog fouling in Kildare last year

KILDARE County Council received 89 complaints about dog fouling in the five-year period from 2021 to 2025, but just six fines were paid during the same period, records released to the Kildare Nationalist show. The council received 19 dog fouling complaints last year, with 2024 recording the highest number of complaints during the five-year period at 25. A total of 20 dog fouling fines were issued during the same period. The council issued 10 fines in 2021, with the local authority telling the Irish Times that the figure was because of increased dog walking during the Covid-19 pandemic as more people worked from home. However, complaints later rose to a five-year high of 25 in 2024, when only four fines were issued. Just three dog fouling fines were issued in 2025 despite 19 complaints being recorded. Only six dog fouling fines were paid over the five-year period, with two paid in 2021, two in 2024 and two in 2025. No fines were paid in 2022 or 2023. The council told the Kildare Nationalist that it currently employs five dog wardens. To raise awareness about dog fouling, the local authority has used portable audio messages, run an 'any bag, any bin' campaign, carried out stencil markings in problem areas, and provided signs for residents' groups and Tidy Towns organisations. A council spokesperson said that one of the main challenges is the lack of specific dog fouling legislation. The council can take action under the Litter Pollution Act, but only if the dog owner is identified. The spokesperson said this usually requires a witness statement and possibly a court appearance. In most cases, according to the council, people report dog fouling without witnessing the offence. The council plans to launch further dog fouling awareness campaigns later this year. Records released to the Irish Times under the Freedom of Information Act showed that five local authorities, including Carlow County Council, issued no dog fouling fines during the five-year period. Meanwhile, on-the-sport dog fouling fines for dog fouling and littering have increased from €150 to €250 on 1 September. Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme