No dog owner ever fined since beach ban introduced in 2008
The summer-long ban for dogs on Galway’s beaches is being ignored and is going unenforced putting public safety at risk.
That’s according to Cllr Colette Connolly, who fought for the introduction of the law in 2008.
Nobody has ever been fined for breaking the bylaw in its nine years in place.
The law states that from May through to September, dogs are not permitted on Ballyloughane, Salthill, Grattan Road and Silverstrand beaches between the hours of 9am and 8pm.
Dogs must be controlled and on a leash at all times outside these hours and owners found to be in breach of the law could incur a fine of €1,904 and a custodial sentence.
However, Cllr Connolly says the law is a futile exercise as both City Hall and the public are “abdicating their responsibilities”.
“It’s disgusting,” exclaimed Cllr Connolly. “I saw over the weekend that this law is not being enforced – it’s not compatible to have dogs and people swimming in the same water.”
Cllr Connolly said that she believed both her and her colleagues had shown leadership in the interest of public safety when they voted for the byelaw nine years ago.
“I am not anti-dog or anything like that but now the problem is like the drink bylaws – they are not enforced,” she said.
A spokesperson for Galway City Council confirmed to the Galway City Tribune that in the nine years since this law was introduced, not one fine has been issued in relation to the offence.
“There haven’t been any fines issued,” he said. “This is a control issue as much as an enforcement issue and because of the existence of these bylaws, dog owners know that they must keep their dogs under control for a number of reasons – primarily hygiene.”
Cllr Connolly believed that the failure to impose the byelaw was a direct result of the moratorium on recruitment in the public sector.
She called on Chief Executive of the City Council, Brendan McGrath, to be forthcoming about the problem and inform councillors of the issue so they can lobby TDs for a change to the situation.
“We don’t have the wardens and the problem is twofold – there is the primary problem of the moratorium on staffing and there are not enough wardens to do the job.
“There needs to be collective responsibility for behaviour,” said Cllr Connolly.
She argued that an option would be to make provision for dog parks around the city – giving dog owners a place to go where public health would not be at risk.