Dog ownership/responsibility

Hi All....

Having spent three years trying to talk my daughter out of the idea of having a dog we finally relented a couple of months ago. Now that we have her, we are all madly in love with her.......(responsible dog owners no doubt will understand where I'm coming from)....I walk our dog every morning (she's now 13 weeks old) and not a day goes by when I don't encounter a dog of some sort approaching us without somebody on the other end of the lead.....Yes, you guessed it, the dog that's let out in the morning to drop its muck anywhere bar where the owner has to deal with it ! (1st Gripe) Then I have to deal with the terror that our puppy endures whilst I try to get rid of an aggressive dog (whilst it's owner scratches his or her This post will be deleted if not edited to remove bad language whilst pouring the milk into their cereal or peeling the wrapper off another bar of chocolate, 2nd gripe)......Furthermore, the owners of dogs that should not only be on leads but muzzled as well (3rd gripe, I'm tired of hearing that it's not the dog but it's the owner that causes the problem.....How many Red Setters have mauled children in comparison to Pits and Staffies etc)

Does anyone know if the state actually enforces the laws it's created about dogs/dog ownership.....ie; how many owners have been prosecuted for letting their dogs loose off a lead, how many for not cleaning up after them and how many for having a 'dangerous' breed without the adequate restraint/muzzle ??

I'm just waiting for the first local politician to darken my door .......

r2d2

You can report all of these issues to you local dog warden. (You should get their contact details on your local Co. County Council website.)
Make sure you have a dog licence for your own dog.
Are you going to let the dog out on the local politician when she/he calls?

We have similar problems where we live, with dogs fouling public open spaces, our front garden and driveway. There are a handful of irresponsible owners who allow their dogs out, unsupervised for most of the day; they don't walk their animals and they don't clean up after them either. The net result is I can't allow my eldest child to play on or near the green spaces. I've contacted the local authority and the dog warden. The dog warden was very helpful and interested in my plight but unless I was prepared to name individual owners there wasn't much he could do- I live in a small cul de sac and I don't want to be identified or vilified, as one of the few non dog-owning households. It's a real scourge in urban areas now.

A while back we got a letter in the post from our council stating that complaints were made regarding these kind of doggie problems.

It was sent to about 20 people on our estate and did not state who the offending houses were, just that compliants were made and if your're the owner of a dog please follow the rules.

It was a good way of getting the point across without pointing the finger and anyone specific. The few houses that have dogs got the letter but didn't know who complained.

You should suggest it!

Good idea, however I find our local council pretty bloody awful and not in the least bit proactive but I will contact a local representative about it, thanks.

The councils could definitely encourage a bit more than their "€125 fine" signs,
by getting the point across of the spread of worms/disease, risk to children, etc. A few well placed newspaper ads,leaflets or signs would make responsible owners think a bit more-I always carry the nappy bags and of course it aint nice to pick up a warm **** especially when theres no bin for half a mile(another point).
BTW has anyone came across a fully biodegradeable bag (one to put down a drain or into a hedge not ideal but if theres no bins) have seen the compostable ones but thats all.

All dogs are required by law to be on a lead when they are on a public road & in most parks. I have owned at least 8 dogs during my lifetime & they have always been kept under control. Despite this, one has been savaged to death by a neighbours rough haired terrier & 2 other small dogs have been attacked violently & my wife had to be taken to A & E because she tried to get a dog off. I had no qualms about confronting the neighbour responsible & got the dog warden to issue a final warning that the dog would be put down if there was another assault. Gardai didn't want to know.
Enforcement never takes place in this country & things are so bad that even if our timid & nervous small dog survives & although we love our dogs this one will be our last.