Laois County Council investigate complaints about dogs.
Laois County Council endeavours to protect the public from the dangers of dog fouling. Not cleaning up after your pooch can have detrimental health consequences for the public especially young children.
Dogs are known to be carriers of campylobacter and other bacteria which can prove a health hazard to humans, but the main danger to health in dog faeces is the presence of the eggs of Toxocara Canis, or dog roundworm. Once in the human body the larvae of these eggs can cause extreme fever and illness and severe damage to organs.
Contact with infected dog faeces can cause loss of sight, with children especially at risk. Please make sure your pet does not become a source of tragedy for some other family. Clean up after your dog.
If your dog poos in a public place, you, or the person in charge of the dog, must remove the poo and dispose of it in a proper and clean way. Otherwise, it is an offence.
If your dog poos in a public place and you don’t pick it up, you can get a €150 on the spot fine.
Litter Enforcement Officers conduct foot patrols and will highlight that not cleaning up after your dog is subject to an On The Spot Litter Fine of €150. Signage highlighting this fact has been placed in various locations around the County.
Simply place a bag over the dog faeces and lift it whilst pulling the bag downwards with your other hand. Tie a knot in the bag and dispose of it in any public bin or take it home for disposal.
Laois County Council implement a ‘Bag it, Bin it’ policy, which means that dog foul materials may be placed in any public litter bin once it is bagged. If no bin is available, the owner should take the material home for appropriate disposal.
Laois county Council also provide several Mutt Mitt Stations where bags can be availed of free of charge. This initiative is done in conjunction with Laois Tidy Towns.
Laois County Council actively encourage and promote responsible dog ownership. Our Responsible Dog Ownership Booklet is a free guide on how to become a better dog owner and focuses on the importance of cleaning up dog fouling, dog control, dog licences/tags and identifies what you can do if you are troubled with excessive noise caused by dog barking.
Additional copies are also available at various Vet Surgeries and from the Environment Section.
Please view the video on responsible dog ownership from the Department of Rural & Community
For all animal welfare/cruelty issues contact either:
For more information phone the environment section at 057 866 4000 or email environmentadmin@laoiscoco.ie