sumosmum

You can download and read the Committee report from the Victorian Government Inquiry into BSL here. Link to download the report for Inquiry into the Legislative and Regulatory Framework Relating to Restricted Breed Dogs > Report and Response

We now have another free Bill Bruce seminar which is mid week. The seminar is being hosted by City of Moonee Valley with a lot of support from the Mayor. Thursday, 22 October, 1pm. Clocktower Centre, 750 Mt Alexander Road, Moonee Ponds, Vic., 3039. See flyer below link for flyer with rsvp details. This is a free event.

Dogs On Trial, DOT Victoria BILL BRUCE SEMINAR.....YOU ARE ALL INVITED 2PM, 24 OCTOBER 2015 PLEASE SHARE With thanks to RSPCA Victoria who have kindly supplied their facilities, a seminar has been organised with Bill Bruce speaking. Bill is the retired Director of Animal Services and Bylaws in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and implemented what is now referred to as the Calgary Model. This model of management has been and continues to be an astounding success and does not involve Breed Specific Legislation. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters at Dogs On Trial, the auctions run by Bobbie-Lee and the sale of our merchandise. Without our supporters, we would not have been able to bring Bill Bruce to Melbourne to speak with the Victorian Parliamentary Committee at the Inquiry into the Legislative and Regulatory Framework Relating to Restricted Breed Dogs. Look forward to seeing you on the 24th. SEATING IS LIMITED SO RSVP QUICKLY IF YOU WISH TO ATTEND My link

No, sorry, that is incorrect. The group responsible for bringing Bill Bruce out from Canada to speak with the Committee that is doing the inquiry is Dogs On Trail, DOT Victoria. Bill is being brought out from Canada by DOT using funds that have come from the sale of their merchandise, fund raising auctions and donations. You can read the information about this in the submission that Dogs On Trial have made to the inquiry.

The AMO's at Brimbank CC are not anti BSL. One may be, the others are very pro bsl as was evident when they gave evidence against Mylo.

If you would like to see the overhead slides used by Bill in his talk, you can download from the following link. They are in my dropbox. Bill has given permission to me to convert the files, and post this, as previously they were in an apple format and not all could view. You can also find the link on Dogs On Trial DOT Victoria facebook page. We had the pleasure of organising and hosting the Sunday seminar, also having dinner with Bill and his lovely wife during his week here. Absolutely wonderful people, and Bill is a common sense genius in my opinion. Please let me know if the link doesn't work. Hope it is okay to post here. Animal Services Presentation Calgary Model by Bill Bruce

Bill Bruce will be interviewed on the 7.30 Show Victoria, ABC1 Friday night (25 Oct). Bill said it was an excellent interview. Looking forward to watching. There will be an online link available after the show has aired. :)

Bill Bruce will be interviewed on the 7.30 Show Victoria, ABC1 Friday night (25 Oct). Bill said it was an excellent interview. Looking forward to watching. There will be an online link available after the show has aired. :)

Aphra, glad you enjoyed the seminar. Bit disappointed that more people didn't attend, but overall, it went very well. Dogs On Trial organized the seminar. On the panel , Graeme McEwan, BAWP, Karen Davies, Vet Dr David Lowe, representing Dogs Victoria, Allie Jalbert, RSPCA Dr Susan Maastricht, AVA, Robert Holmes, dog behaviorist, Brad Griggs, dog trainer, And of course, Bill Bruce. :) Every council in Victoria was invited to attend either the Sunday seminar or the Monday seminar. I think a couple of council people attended the Sunday one, and about 3 councils were represented at the Monday seminar.

This was the case in Rockets appeal.

He is only doing this because owners are appealing and winning. He has not much clue of what he is talking about as far as I can see, and the publicity with the dogs who are going home is bothering him. It is also costing the government and the councils a lot of money when dogs are being impounded for so long, and then win. More people are finding out what BSL really means, and the media are finally being a bit more honest when it comes to reporting on BSL, and showing both sides. As stated in the video, definitely a wiff of desperation about it! The ABC 7.30 show was a positive and fair segment I thought. :D And showed the Minister up for what he is.

Would he be on death row if the owners were responsible enough to contain him in a secure back yard.......he was served up on a plate due to irresponsible ownership is my point, he was wandering at large in someone else's yard when extra precautions needed to be taken to keep an unregistered dog of Pitbull appearance safe in which his owners failed him. The sad bit is that the owners of these types of dogs are just letting the legislation take it's course.........the outs are in the legislation and they need to start using it?? Exactly what outs are in the legislation?

No, BAWP didn't have anything to do with Rocket's case. His case was handled and helped by Dogs On Trial DOT Victoria/ForDogsSake Australia. Registered fundraiser. DOT/FDS arranged all the legals, and funding. :) Big job and extremely costly. And even though Rocket's first VCAT appeal, where he lost and took it to the Supreme court, and then that first VCAT hearing was ruled in error by the Supreme, there is no refund for the botched VCAT hearing, and then there are more costs involved in the second VCAT hearing. You don't usually win costs in any VCAT hearing. Can't win financially in this. Even when you win costs in the Supreme court, you still do not get all the costs back. Just to claim the costs, you lose 10% straight away, and then you have to wait and wait and wait. The costs that were won re the Dudas case, the first Supreme Court appeal with the dog Baby, have not come back as yet. That appeal was won last December, we are now into July. It stinks.

Totally agree. Dougie is a very energetic young boy. He has come out the way you would expect (I think) a dog to come out of the pound. Being locked up as a pup, and spending well over a year in the pound is a shocking thing to do to a dog. Hopefully he will settle down and get some training. It has always been a worry with all the dogs who have spent time in the pound and then sent home with the owners being given no support. One dog was in there for well over a year, had pups, and the owners were handed back not 1 dog, but at least 5 or so large pups that were over a year old. It is a disgrace, truly it is. Don't have any contact with these people, so I can't say how they went after being released, but just the fact that this can happened is a shocker. The Government and the councils don't care though..

This has been in the planning since late last year, and finally is going to happen. Hopefully a step in the right direction to gain some sanity in Victoria regarding dog legislation. Please share this around to anywhere that may be interested. Post from Barristers Animal Welfare Panel on Facebook. "Subject to raising the necessary funds, the Panel has arranged for retired Calgary ranger, Bill Bruce, to come to Australia in the second half of October to meet with media and politicians and espouse the merits of the Calgary model and explain the deficiencies of breed specific legislation. Tomorrow we will post to our internet site details of how to become a member of or make a donation to the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel Foundation. The Foundation has been established as a trust for general fundraising and handling of monies with the pro bono assistance of international law firm King & Wood Mallesons. The Foundation is a separate entity from the Panel as the Panel does not handle monies." Link to facebook page with announcement. BAWP Facebook page

Don't bet on that being the bright side. Believe that they get help from the State Government with Supreme Court costs even when they lose. Regarding the Minister saying he is going to put the onus back on the owner to prove their dog isn't a Restricted Breed, that is what the owners are doing at the moment? I think the Minister has no clue. Lets just see how far he wants to take this.

The dogs still on trial in Victoria are, Dougie, still waiting for the decision on his new VCAT hearing. Locked up for about 15 months. Moonee Valley CC Mylo, yet to have his VCAT hearing, locked up for over 1 year. Brimbank CC Kerser, who lost his Leave to Appeal in the Supreme court, but is now appealing against that loss of Leave to Appeal. Locked up since last December. Monash CC

I imagine the council will have to wear all the costs. That's what happened in previous wins. In my opinion they should be made to pay compensation also. When Rocket's case went to the Supreme Court, the council more or less gave up, and agreed to go back to VCAT for a re hearing after the decision (win) in favour of Baby (Rapta. Dudas v Monash CC) and Cardinia did agree to pay costs for Rockets legal fees with the Supreme Court. (Baby was the first appeal to the Supreme court regarding a restricted breed declaration with the current laws.) The new VCAT hearing was a new set of costs and was very costly, however with VCAT hearing, costs are very rarely awarded . No other dog that has won in VCAT has recovered costs. This just highlights another area where this legislation is so unfair. The council can seize your dog, hold on to it for months on end claiming the dog is a restricted breed, and even when the dog is cleared, and VCAT set aside the declaration made by the council, the owners are not able to get their costs back. In Rocket's case, we actually had to pay for 2 VCAT hearings. Even though the first one was taken to be wrong, and a new hearing ordered by the Supreme court, the two hearings in VCAT still had to be paid for.. Because councils go into VCAT hearings armed with Barristers and Solicitors, it is now necessary for owners to do the same, hence the cost of a vcat appeal is very expensive. Vcat have now also introduced extra fees, and the whole process is just out of control. Who knows though, there is a first time for everything, or so they say. ...

It would not have made any difference if Kerser was registered or not. He would still be in the same situation. Any dog who even vaguely fits the Victorian Government Standard, no matter what their genetic make up may be, born after September 2010, registered or not is at risk of being killed. Only exception being papered American Staffordshire Terriers.

Yep, totally agree, we don't need Dangerous dogs, however he is referring to the dogs who won their appeal in the Supreme Court. They had not been involved in an incident, or accused of Dangerous Dog. In fact, one of the dogs, the one who was impounded for 15 months, is one of the best dogs i have ever met, with other dogs, other animals and people.

It now appears that the Premier of Victoria doesn't agree with the Supreme Court and has no respect for their decision. With Dogs Victoria now assisting councils and the government, I hope that with this latest statement from the premier, they can see exactly what they have bought in to. Ted Baillieu appears to have no respect for the court system in which these dogs won their appeals legally. With his statement in this article, he still says "these dogs" are restricted breeds, so I guess we don't need to have a judicial system any more, we can just ask Ted. Baillieu could toughen Dangerous Dog Laws Baillieu could toughen dangerous dog laws THE Victorian government could again toughen laws against dangerous dogs, after a court overturned the decision to put down two animals deemed to be pit bull terriers. The Domestic Animals Act was strengthened in 2011 after four-year-old Ayen Chol was mauled to death by a neighbour's pit bull mastiff in suburban St Albans. Under the Act, dangerous breeds such as pit bulls can only be kept if they were registered in Victoria before September 2011. The Supreme Court of Victoria in November ruled in favour of two people whose dogs had been deemed pit bulls by local councils and were due to be put down. The court found the dogs did not meet the definition of the breed as described in the legislation. Mr Baillieu on Sunday said his government would look at amending current laws. "There is no place for dangerous dogs in Victoria," he told reporters in Melbourne. "If we have to change legislation, we will change it. "We remained determined to get these dogs off the streets, get these dogs out of our lives and get these dogs out of Victoria." A coronial investigation into Ayen's death recommended the onus of establishing that a dog is a restricted breed should lie with its owners and not authorities. The coroner also suggested veterinarians be required to report to authorities their knowledge of any restricted breed or suspected restricted breed dog which is unregistered, not desexed and not microchipped. Mr Baillieu said the government would soon respond to the coroner's recommendations.

Very true. At this moment, there is fund raising underway to do just that. The people who have been helping with these cases, and indeed have offered to help all cases that have come up in VCAT are fundraising on Facebook. There is at the moment an online auction being run, and there is a Rock Gig that is being held for the owners and dogs in February. The facebook page, Dogs On Trial Victoria has details of cases, decisions and fundraising. The cost for an owner if they lose in VCAT and decide to appeal in the Supreme Court is enormous. Not many owners would have that kind of money available. The appeal for Rapta (Baby) cost $30,000. I am not sure if I am allowed to put the facebook links on the forum, but if anyone would like the links, or information, please PM me. I would also like to add that some councils are informing owners that they will have to pay boarding for their dog while waiting for the appeals to come up in court. In most cases, this is not the case, and is being used as a strategy by councils to try and deter appeals. Rapta was held for around 15months, and the owner legally didn't have to pay for kenneling fees. And didn't.

Link Court blow to push on dangerous dog breeds Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/court-blow-to-push-on-dangerous-dog-breeds-20130126- 2ddw1.html#ixzz2J9Kei748My link Court blow to push on dangerous dog breeds Illustration: Matt Golding. THE Supreme Court has dealt the Baillieu government's campaign to rid the state of dangerous dogs a major blow by granting a reprieve to two dogs deemed American pit bull terriers by Darebin and Monash councils. The court overturned a decision by the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal, which, agreeing with the councils, had ruled the dogs complied with the legal definition of a restricted breed and should be put down. The Supreme Court ordered the two councils to pay more than $200,000 in legal fees and pound costs, a move expected to deter other legal challenges by local governments. VCAT had made an error of law in ruling the dogs were American pit bulls, said Justice Stephen Kaye, who ruled the physical characteristics of a dog must have a closer association with government guidelines for dangerous breeds. The appeal case has highlighted the difficulties in identifying dogs believed to be pit bull terriers and could undermine the laws introduced in September 2011 following the fatal mauling of four-year-old St Albans girl Ayen Chol. Under the contentious laws, all American pit bull terriers must be placed on a dangerous dog register, microchipped, desexed and muzzled when in public. Councils were given the power to destroy dogs whose owners failed to comply. Owners face 10 years' prison if their pets are responsible for the death of a person. Monash mayor Micaela Drieberg urged the state government to amend the legislation following the recent Supreme Court decision, which had ''raised the bar very high''. ''The government brought in these laws with the best of intentions, but the laws are not working. We're keen to see the state government refine the laws to address the issues that are coming up,'' Cr Drieberg said. She said most councils faced massive legal costs every time a dog was declared to be a restricted breed. The dog at the centre of the legal dispute with Monash Council, Rapta, was recently returned to its owner, while Darebin council was forced to return a dog called Tia that had been impounded for several months. A Darebin council spokeswoman said the court decision would not be appealed but would serve as a guide when assessing dogs in future. The court ruling has been hailed as a victory by owners of affected breeds, who have vowed to mount further court action against councils. American Pit Bull Terrier Club of Australia president Colin Muir confirmed the organisation had helped fund several legal challenges. Mr Muir said the recent decision would provide greater certainty for owners and discourage councils from taking legal action without proof a dog was one of the five breeds designated as dangerous by the government. ''The councils and the government need to know that we're not going away. These laws don't work; the government knows this but are just interested in being seen to be doing something,'' Mr Muir said. He said most dogs found to be pit bull terriers by council staff had never been involved in an attack. Hospital admissions due to dog-related injuries rose from 451 in 2000-01 to 717 in 2010, according to figures collected by Monash University's Victorian Injury Surveillance Unit. ■[email protected] Read more: http://www.theage.co...l#ixzz2J9K8pEqm

So sorry for your loss of Inka. RIP lovely girl. Beautiful looking girl.

Cazstaff, I am so sorry for the loss of your beautiful boy Buddy. I don't know what else to say to you. Just so so sad. Such a lovely boy. RIP Buddy. xxx I am horrified by this. I was just about to pick up the phone to book our little dogs in to be clipped. I hope you do go after them legally. I would, but that is just me. It won't bring the beautiful boy back, but I think it needs to be done. This is so unprofessional, with tragic results. After such a long life, with a loving owner, he should have seen his days out with you. This was taken from you and him, and it was due to poor management, hopeless staff and totally avoidable. Oh Cazstaff, once again, so sorry this has happened. Shocking.