A Dublin baby was rushed to A&E after coming in contact with dog poo that had been dragged into her back garden accidentally from a southside green area.
Her very upset mother from Knocklyon described the frightening moment she discovered her baby girl had smeared herself in it.
She said: "Her dad had accidentally walked dog poo in on his shoes from the grass verge on the pavement.
"Our 17-month-old baby came across the poo in the garden and rubbed it onto her hands, body and face."
The mother immediately brought the toddler to be assessed at A&E fearing the worst.
She continued: "I brought her to the paediatric A&E due to risk of poisoning, toxocariasis and the risk of ophthalmologic diseases and blindness."
Thankfully, the child got the all-clear from the doctor but her mother has told dog owners that they need to clean up after their pets.
She said: "People need to take ownership and responsibility especially with such health complications. Imagine if the poo had been ingested or placed near eyes."
The mother checked her CCTV and said she was able to pinpoint the dog who carried out the act and the owner who did not clean up after the pet.
Sadly, it's not the first case of people not cleaning up after their canines in the area.
One resident commented: "I bring my kid out onto the green and we always come across [dog poo], cant even play football. And I've noticed kids walking dogs and not cleaning it up even though they have the bags with them right beside the swings and a little girl stood on it then. Like it takes 2 seconds."
Another added: "Around the area near the hill and the rock the other day was so disgusting. I heaved walking past and my little 2-year-old was asking 'what's wrong?'. So disgusting. What a horrible worry for that parent and inconvenience of going to A&E.
A third said: "My 4-year-old came in covered in it after sitting on our green last year. "I was terrified she might have had some on her hands or worse - her eyes or mouth. There's no excuses."
