sumosmum

A new thread has been started dedicated to the Melbourne Rally. Melbourne people, please join in and attend the rally. This cause is for all dogs. More updates will be added to the Melbourne Rally thread as speakers and the days program are confirmed. Thanks to all that are attending, lets make this a positive event, and hopefully enlighten the public, and show our Victorian Government that there is a way of making our community safe, and still have the wonderful experience of sharing our lives with our dogs. :D We need to all unite on this issue, and show our numbers and strength. DOL Thread for Melbourne Rally

Details of the Melbourne Ralley listed below, with a link to the Facebook Event page. Please join us in the cause for all dogs. Uniting dogs and communty safety. More details will be added as speakers are confirmed, and the program for the day is set. Below is a copy and paste of what is on on the Facebook event page. Time22 October · 11:00 - 14:00 Location Starting at Federation Square and then on to the Steps of Parliament House, Spring Street, Melbourne. Facebook Page to the Melbourne Event Dogs in the Community – a rally calling for the repeal of Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) in favour of a world class, science based animal management strategy in Victoria. THIS IS A DOG FREE EVENT, SO PLEASE DONT BRING ALONG DOG! - it would be appreciated if you bring along an empty leash and collar to represent your dog/s on the day. Recent media attention on the issue of canine aggression and dog bite incidents in the community has once again brought issues such as Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) and companion animal management practices to the forefront. A rally is being held on October 22 at a time to be confirmed in the near future. Meeting place will also be announced in the very near future via this description. Who is this rally for? Anyone, not just dog owners, who is interested in the issues regarding dogs in the community. In particular, matters of: • Community Safety - The current measures taken by government categorically fail to make the community safer, continuing to put the general public at risk, despite proven solutions being available. • Breed Specific Legislation - All available scientific literature proves BSL ineffective, and academics and Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) universally acknowledge that BSL does not make communities safer from dog bite incidents. • Animal Welfare - World class, science-driven animal management strategies are in use in many areas of the world. These areas enjoy not only extremely low incidences of dog bites, but animal destruction rates that are considered ‘No Kill’ (<10%). • Social Progress – Policies such as BSL are 25 years behind other countries in terms of providing a solution that most advantages the community. • Responsible Guardianship - How do we encourage and ensure responsible dog guardianship? • Tax Payers - Citizens who want their taxes spent efficiently and effectively, in the best interests of their communities, ought to be alarmed at the current state of affairs. Proven self-funded models are available to make the public safer while simultaneously improving animal welfare. Our keynote speakers will address these topics in detail from various perspectives. Can I bring my dog to the rally? Dogs who serve the community, such as assistance dogs and police dogs, undergo extensive training in order to be behaviourally reliable in crowded situations. A rally is an unfamiliar, potentially challenging/stressful environment for many dogs, which could lead to unexpected behaviours. Therefore, whilst we all love our dogs and would like them to attend, ONLY dogs who have been invited by the organisers prior to the event are to attend. These dogs will act as representatives of all dogs in the community. Your support of, and compliance with, this decision is sincerely appreciated by all who will attend the rally. This is a Peaceful Rally! It is important that the majority of Australians are given the opportunity to identify with our messages as non-threatening and in the best interests of Australian society. This rally is based on peaceful protest and intelligent debate. It is an alcohol-free event and the organisers ask all participants to refrain from disruptive behaviour, including abusive language. We understand why some owners of particular breeds/types of dogs that are being targeted by the media feel frustration and anger, however, we also understand that the general public – who have been fed a diet of misinformation, media hysteria and political rhetoric – cannot be expected to join us in a call for change unless we engage with them in a positive and productive fashion. Banners and Signs are encouraged, however the language and phrases used must be chosen carefully (spelling is important!). Slogans such as “Ban Stupid People, Not Dogs” have the potential to create division rather than cooperation. Slogans along the lines of those in the list below are welcome: “Consult the Experts” “Deed Not Breed” “Breed Specific Legislation - Science Disagrees” “Breeds Don’t Make Bad Dogs, People Make Bad Dogs” “Education Not Discrimination” “Breed Specific Policy Fails the Public” “BSL = Epic Fail” “Honour Ayen’s Memory – Protection Through Good Policy” “Media Driven Policy = Failure” “Dogs: Science + Education = Public Safety” “Scientists Agree: Abolish Poor Policy” “Our Kids Deserve Better” “End BSL, Save Human Lives” “Science + Research = No BSL” How can you get involved? As well as attending on the day, if you wish to donate time or resources to the rally, please email us briefly, outlining how you wish to contribute. Please include in the subject line of your email: your state, followed by ‘HELP AVAILABLE’ and your name, e.g. “VIC, HELP AVAILABLE John Jones” Please send email to: [email protected]

Totally agree Maxiewolf.

Saffioraira, would you mind telling me what council this is please? Pm me if you prefer. Thanks.

I don't think this is the case Megan. The new laws come into effect tomorrow, so after tomorrow they can decide to declare the dogs registered as Staffy's to be Restricted Breeds if they believe they fit the standard. If the dog is registered or not, the owner still has the right to appeal through VCAT. If the appeal is lost, the unregistered dog may then be destroyed. This is what she was told. (It is actually worse for those who HAVE registered dogs) The council will be visiting every home with a dog registered as Staffy, Etc to determine whether in their opinion it is actually a PBT. They could not give a time frame as they would have "thousands of homes to visit". She did not want to go down the path of Restricted breed because she was advised that the dogs would have to be muzzled at all times and kept in a concrete floored run! If her dogs are un papered American Staffordshire Terriers, she needs to have a vet certificate to state this. Dr Kim Hooper runs a mobile vet service in the NE of Melbourne. Dr Kim is a true friend of the dog, a very compassionate and ethical professional, and a supporter of the NDTF. If you believe you require a vet certificate as a result of the current legislation please take some time to call her on 0434377156 and seek some advice. Kim will be happy to take your call and see if she can help you given your situation and ethical constraints. Dr Kim is not a member of the AVA. ETA Please urge your friend to get a Vet Certificate as soon as possible. If the council does seize her dog, it will be harder to get the Certificate, and a lot more stressful for her and the dog.

Good for you Dju, great offer of help.

That is interesting regarding the excess animals permits Cosmolo. I wonder if all councils will bring this in. I hope so. Maybe they are trying to cut down the workload in other dog areas because of all the extra work involved in the new RB laws.

Zara, if you look up Calgary Model, a lot of this would be explained. It is a whole and complete package and does not include breed bans.

I agree, I would be doing the same. Trespass. Some councils will probably try to put things over people, and unfortunately some owners will believe them. Not all, but some. They do have a procedure they need to follow and I worry that a lot of people will just believe what the council workers tell them. They need to put their decision to declare the dog a Restricted Breed in writing within 7 days. Then, the owner has 28 days to appeal to VCAT. During that time of waiting for the VCAT day, the council can at their discretion leave the dog with the owner, and during that time, the dog does NOT need to be kept under Restricted Breed regs. Lets face it, there are only so many spaces for dogs in pounds, so depending on how many dogs are targetted, they may run out of space. Also, I believe they have trouble getting owners to pay the bording in these circumstances, so the councils may be out of pocket, and they won't like that. This is what I have been told anyway, by a Solicitor.

I meant dogs that are registered already as a Staffy X Labrador for example although may have the "look", if they catch someone walking a dog like this, would they accept what it's registered as and if it's a nice dog, leave it be, or seize it on the off chance it's breed was incorrectly nominated? AS others have said. The council only needs to prove that the dog fits the standard. That is all. A lot will be determined by how the councils are going to be with this. If a dog is declared as a Restricted Breed, the council needs to put this in writing to the owner within 7 days. The owner then has 28 days from the date of the declaration to apply to VCAT to appeal the decission. It is up to the council if the dog is seized or left at home during the waiting time for the VCAT date. If left at home, the dog does NOT need to be kept as a Restricted breed under those regs.

There is a provision that if the council want to allow it, you can keep the dog at home. The dog does not have to be kept under the Restricted Breed regs while waiting to be heard by VCAT,if a person is fighting the decision to declare. This was advised to me by a Solicitor who is looking into the whole thing. ETA If anyone would like a copy of the info sheet the Solicitor has put together, please PM me with your email address.

There is apparently a rally in each state. There is a facebook page set up, that is talking about all the rallies, and then there are separate ones I think. I don't know who started all the facebook pages, but I it does say that the Melbourne rally is happening on the 22nd October at 11am, Parliament House. Looks like from the other pages I have skimmed over that they will all be on the 22nd October.

I agree Jeff, and good on NDTF for giving the support too.

Thanks Megan, can you show me where please. I hope they aren't giving the incorrect information.

I don't think this is the case Megan. The new laws come into effect tomorrow, so after tomorrow they can decide to declare the dogs registered as Staffy's to be Restricted Breeds if they believe they fit the standard. If the dog is registered or not, the owner still has the right to appeal through VCAT. If the appeal is lost, the unregistered dog may then be destroyed. If the dog is registered prior to tomorrow, and the council decides to declare the dog Restricted Breed, the owner can appeal. If the owner loses, the dog may be able to be registered as a restricted breed, and live life under those regs, if the dog was in Victoria prior to 1st September 2010 and was registered with the council before 30 September 2011. However, if the council decides, and I believe they are able to, to not have any more Restricted Breeds registered in their area, that dog can then be destroyed. If the dog is not registered by 30 September 2011, tomorrow, and the council declares the dog a Restricted Breed, and the owner appeals to VCAT and loses the appeal, the dog can be destroyed. We will soon be finding out how this is all going to pan out. Amstaffs with pedigree certs have an exemption and so do un papered Amstaffs if the owner has a certificate to that effect from a vet. The problem is that if another dog fits the description on the Standard, they are then deemed to be Restricted. So, any dog fitting the description regardless of breeding other than Amstaffs are at risk. And that is one of the legal problems with the wording of the legislation. Owners of other dogs can get a certificate from a vet stating what the breed of the dog is,(this may help, but there is nothing stated to guarantee this) but please note, they only real exemptions in the standard are for American Staffordshire Terriers, papered, and unpapered with a Vet Certificate. A lot is going to depend how reasonable and fair the councils are going to be with this. But all they have to do really, is prove that a dog fits the magical standard to declare the dog.

Melbourne Rally. Copy and paste from the NDTF facebook page. NDTF - National Dog Trainers Federation (Australia) The NDTF are proud to announce that they have agreed for their Operations Manager, Brad Griggs, to take on the running of a Melbourne based rally in response to the latest legislative changes pushed through the Victorian parliament. Brad has been very active in the canine community regarding these changes, and is passionate about the issues associated with dog bites in the community, and also BSL. The NDTF recognises the need to show industry leadership on this matter, and has donated a month of Brad's time and NDTF resources to enable the event to be as successful as possible. The NDTF are proud of this announcement, and we sincerely hope the community can come together in the quest for a world class, science-driven animal management policy. Lets hope all dog owners will support this effort. I think the government may have underestimated just how many people are disgusted in this law that has been rushed through and forced upon us. It is poorly written, and very damaging to innocent owners and their dogs. Please try to attend and spread the word. Thanks. ETA. Brad Griggs will be on the channel 7, Sunrise show tomorrow morning at 6.45am. Sunrise has an app for mobiles, android and Iphone, and they seem to get the show up on the app quite quickly. So, if you miss the show and wish to view the segment, you can also find it there.

NDTF - National Dog Trainers Federation (Australia) The NDTF are proud to announce that they have agreed for their Operations Manager, Brad Griggs, to take on the running of a Melbourne based rally in response to the latest legislative changes pushed through the Victorian parliament. Brad has been very active in the canine community regarding these changes, and is passionate about the issues associated with dog bites in the community, and also BSL. The NDTF recognises the need to show industry leadership on this matter, and has donated a month of Brad's time and NDTF resources to enable the event to be as successful as possible. The NDTF are proud of this announcement, and we sincerely hope the community can come together in the quest for a world class, science-driven animal management policy. The above was posted via Facebook from NDTF page. I hope that all dog owners will stick together on this fight. We need to show our numbers and our commitment to have these dreadfully unfair laws changed to a more fair and effective animal management policy.

Tomorrow is the first day of the new laws. Brad Griggs will be on the channel 7, Sunrise show tomorrow morning at 6.45am. NDTF - National Dog Trainers Federation (Australia) Brad Griggs of K9 Services International and the NDTF will be appearing tomorrow morning on Ch7's SUNRISE program to share his opinion on the recent legislative changes made by the Victorian government regarding BSL. This opportunity will give the issue national coverage, and our hope is that SUNRISE will continue to show consideration to the intelligent and sensible arguement Please watch at 6.45am and take some time to email SUNRISE to thank them for giving the issue so much balanced coverage.

I think it should be on temp testing. All dogs can bite depending on the owner and how they train, control and treat their dog. Purebred and crossbred dogs, all are capable of causing trouble if not owned correctly.

I received an answer to my questions. If you would like me to send it to you, with other stuff, please let me know an email address. I can't post it, as it has my name and address on it, and also a Solicitor has given an opinion, and written about it, so don't want to do the wrong thing. But, happy to forward info that I have. If anyone else would like, please send let me know. Pleas don't post it though. thanks.

Agree Cosmolo. Did you get an answer from the Minister?

Teebs, I hope all works out well in Atlas's favour. Poor boy. Hugs to you and Atlas. I know how worried you are Teebs. Sending all healing vibes, love and prayers your way.

I have been hearing the ads during the week, and have heard them mention Restricted Breed dogs. They may have changed it, or there may be a couple of versions. People have always had the option of calling the council if they have a dog complaint, or putting their complaint in writing. If the councils had acted on all of the complaints that have been made previously, maybe we wouldn't be in the mess we are in at the moment. And if the councils actually policed people having their dogs offlead in areas where they must be on lead, a lot less trouble would have evolved too. I see people walking dogs offlead straight past the building where the ACO is situated in our area!

RIP stafford boy. That is really sad, and I am so sorry for your loss Jase. He looks such a gorgeous boy.

I totally agree with you Kirty. I think taking dogs along would be a big mistake.