Dog owners may face a penalty if they do not clean up after their pets.
DOG fouling is a pervasive problem that plagues communities across Fermanagh.
Particularly in the warmer summer months, the problem of doggy mess on our streets and parks can be extremely offputting for both locals and visitors alike. Having tried to tackle it with several smaller initiatives in the past, the Council is now looking at a new scheme that it hopes could help tackle the issue once and for all.
At the recent meeting of the Council’s environmental services committee, it was proposed the district adopts the Green Dog Walkers Initiative, a scheme that has been a great success in Scotland.
Dog owners volunteer for the scheme, and take a pledge to always clean up after their pets, carry extra dog waste bags, to provide other dog walkers with waste bags, and to highlight any problem areas to the Council. Those who sign up to the scheme will be issued with a special pack that will include poop scoop bags and a special green collar for their dog, to identify them as being part of the scheme.
With over 6,000 dog licences issued in the district, the Council said they hoped around 250 would sign up to the scheme in the first six months, if it is adopted.
Meanwhile, the Council have also said they are currently looking for suitable sites for a dog park in Enniskillen, which would provide a safe, enclosed space where owners could let their dogs off their leads to run free.
After being raised by Cllr Sorcha McAnespie, who said her constituents had been lobbying for one, a spokesman for the Council said while a potential site had been identified in Omagh, they were still seeking a suitable area here in Fermanagh.
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