Take the Lead-tackling dog fouling in Belfast

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This consultation has concluded. Thank you to everyone who took part!

This survey aims to collect your opinion, views and ideas to support the complex issue of tackling dog fouling across Belfast. The council faces increasing demands on its resources to address this ongoing issue. We need to find ways to change the negative behaviours relating to dog fouling and highlight the health risks associated with dog fouling for the public and for our staff.

We will continue to tackle dog fouling though cleansing, enforcement, communication and education messaging. However, as a society we have a collective responsibility to deal with this issue, and we would like your input to help us build a collaborative strategic approach to tackling dog fouling.

We want to get feedback from dog owners, the public, businesses, MLA's, schools, community groups and voluntary organisations alongside council services, to help develop and inform an approach to keeping our streets and parks free of dog fouling.

Tell us what you think by filling in our survey below.

Also, if you have any new ideas, please use our Ideas tab to input them.



This survey aims to collect your opinion, views and ideas to support the complex issue of tackling dog fouling across Belfast. The council faces increasing demands on its resources to address this ongoing issue. We need to find ways to change the negative behaviours relating to dog fouling and highlight the health risks associated with dog fouling for the public and for our staff.

We will continue to tackle dog fouling though cleansing, enforcement, communication and education messaging. However, as a society we have a collective responsibility to deal with this issue, and we would like your input to help us build a collaborative strategic approach to tackling dog fouling.

We want to get feedback from dog owners, the public, businesses, MLA's, schools, community groups and voluntary organisations alongside council services, to help develop and inform an approach to keeping our streets and parks free of dog fouling.

Tell us what you think by filling in our survey below.

Also, if you have any new ideas, please use our Ideas tab to input them.




This consultation has concluded. Thank you to everyone who took part!

  • Feedback from Take the Lead survey

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    We asked

    In December 2025, we asked residents for their opinion, views and ideas to support the complex issue of tackling dog fouling across Belfast. We ran a survey and ideas board that closed in March 2026.


    You said:

    The survey attracted significant interest, generating over 1100 responses. We have summarised the key findings from the survey below:


    92% of participants completing the survey are Belfast residents, the remaining 8% were non-Belfast residents, businesses, community or voluntary groups and a councillor.

    46% of participants were dog owners

    20% either would like a dog or walk a friend's dog

    34% don't


    We asked

    In December 2025, we asked residents for their opinion, views and ideas to support the complex issue of tackling dog fouling across Belfast. We ran a survey and ideas board that closed in March 2026.


    You said:

    The survey attracted significant interest, generating over 1100 responses. We have summarised the key findings from the survey below:


    92% of participants completing the survey are Belfast residents, the remaining 8% were non-Belfast residents, businesses, community or voluntary groups and a councillor.

    46% of participants were dog owners

    20% either would like a dog or walk a friend's dog

    34% don't have a dog or do not want a dog

    98% people agreed that dog fouling was an issue and felt it was up to the dog owner to lift, bag and bin the poo.

    96% people felt it was dog owners' responsibility to have poo bags on them.

    26% of people felt there were not enough bins

    42% of people felt that dog fouling signage was ineffective

    64% of people were not aware of our dog fouling campaign ‘think again’


    We also received 79 contributions to the ideas board - key Ideas were:

    • Increase level of fines

    • More intense campaigning-rewording of campaigns

    • More dog wardens and intensified education schedule

    • More bins

    • Poo bags at recycling centres/parks

    • No poo bag-fine person

    • Spray the poo to dissolve it/use machines to clean it off streets


    What we are doing

    Whilst most respondents felt that we were providing enough dog fouling bins, a quarter of respondents didn’t. As a result, we are now currently progressing work on adding bins to identified hotspot areas.

    In terms of campaigning or current initiatives the survey responses show that over 50% people are not aware of our work on the councils’ cleansing approach, current campaigns or the council’s education and community engagement programmes. However new more hard-hitting campaigning has been rolled out on Belfast City councils social media platforms to promote the tackling of dog fouling.

    Many of the ideas suggested through our Ideas Board were not new such as increasing the fixed penalty notice amount, providing more education, more patrolling, more promotion. In most cases we are already looking into these options or are actively progressing them. For example, one of the suggestions related to the availability of poo bags - council is currently promoting the Ask me for a bag campaign, and in addition provides poo bags through community education initiatives.

    Overall, the survey indicates that responsible dog owners are less likely to be causing or contributing to the issue and that dog fouling remains a behaviour related issue. We therefore need to continue to encourage responsible dog ownership whilst challenging bad behaviours. This requires an ongoing, targeted and coordinated approach from council, with buy in from the public and other partners.






    This consultation has concluded. Thank you to everyone who took part!