Cork City Council Tells Dog Owners to 'Get Your Sh*t Together' in New Awareness Campaign

Cork City Council has launched a new dog fouling awareness campaign under the eye-catching slogan "Get Your Sh*t Together", urging dog owners across the city to clean up after their pets.

The campaign aims to spark debate about responsible dog ownership and to make Cork a cleaner, more welcoming place for everyone. It will run across a range of platforms, including print and digital advertising, bus shelters, and new signage in city suburbs and parks.

As part of the initiative, new dog-walking routes will be developed to highlight the locations of waste disposal bins. Free dog poo bags are also available from City Hall, Monday to Friday between 10am and 4pm, while stocks last.

Over the coming weeks, the campaign will focus on the risks of not cleaning up after dogs, and how the behaviour disproportionately affects vulnerable groups, including young children, older people, visually impaired people, and wheelchair users.

The campaign was approved by Cork City Council's Dog Fouling Committee and follows the success of the council's schools art competition, in which children created artwork promoting responsible dog ownership. Winners from nine schools were selected, with their artwork displayed outside their respective schools.

Councillor Joe Kavanagh, Chairperson of the Dog Fouling Committee, said:

"As we reach the end of another very successful annual poster art competition, hundreds of primary school students from across Cork City have made a significant contribution to this fantastic initiative. We are now moving into the next phase of our dog fouling awareness campaign with a high-visibility postering campaign that will run over the coming weeks. Our aim is to capture the attention of dog owners across the city and beyond, sending a clear and strong message about taking responsibility for dog ownership and cleaning up after your dog. We hope that the consistent visibility of this message will raise awareness among dog owners of the critical importance of picking up after their dogs."

Dog fouling is a serious public nuisance and a health risk. Dogs can carry campylobacter and other bacteria, but the primary health danger in dog faeces is the presence of eggs from Toxocara Canis, the dog roundworm. Once inside the human body, the larvae can cause severe fever, illness, and organ damage, and contact with infected faeces can result in loss of sight, with children particularly at risk.

Under Section 22 of the Litter Pollution Acts 1997 to 2009, anyone in charge of a dog is required to immediately remove dog faeces from a public place. Failure to do so carries an on-the-spot fine of €150, with a maximum court fine of €3,000.