THERE WAS A total of 88 convictions for offences under the Control of Dogs Act in 2012, with Dublin, Cork and Louth topping the list for enforcement.
The local authority that issued the largest number of fines was South Dublin Council with 935 fines. However just 34 of these were paid in 2012 and there were only 50 prosecutions under the act.
Some 3,540 on-the-spot fines were issued by local authorities in 2012 with just 1,616 paid and a total of 316 prosecutions.
Offences under the act include failure to buy a dog licence, stray dogs, no identification on a dog, failure to keep a dog under control, dog fouling and having a dog off the leash in prohibited areas.
These offences can result in fines ranging from around €30 to €2,500 and failure to pay could lead to prosecution in District Court and up to three months in prison.
Figures show that Louth County Council came in second place issuing 430 fines with 285 of them paid. There were 159 prosecutions in Louth and four convictions.
The highest rate of conviction was in Cork County with 30 convictions followed by South Dublin with 23 and Monaghan with ten.
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