Councillor wants to DNA dog poo to catch pet owners

A MEMBER of Mayo County Council has suggested a scheme to test the DNA of dog poo to try to catch dog owners who fail to clean up after their pets.

Nobody 'poo pooed' Councillor Frank Durcan's proposal at a meeting of Castlebar Municipal District.

Councillor Durcan raised the dog mess problem in Castlebar and followed up with his unsual solution.

His colleague, Councillor Thérése Ruane, agreed there is a serious problem. She explained that on a recent walk from Glenfort to Castlebar town centre she had counted 19 dog poos.

Councillor Ruane mentioned a risk of pregnant women contracting a disease from dog faeces.

She went on to remark that she felt Councillor Durcan's suggestion was a good and responsible means of dealing with the problem.

Councillor Michael Kilcoyne complained there hasn't been even one prosecution for dog fouling in the Castlebar area. He added that the issue of enforcement will have to be prioritised by the authorities.

County secretary John Condon suggested Councillor Durcan table a notice of motion on the issue. He said the council do not have the legal right or power at the moment to do what was suggested.

In response, Councillor Durcan promised to table a notice of motion as suggested.

At the moment in Ireland there is no scheme to test the DNA of dog poo but in Britain a pilot programme is being tested.

Samples of canine faeces are being collected by officers from the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham Council and park rangers. DNA collected is later compared to a database of registered owners.