Some New Dog Rules For Tasmania.

[pirate]

A council is asking for changes to the dog control act so that they can ban dogs on footpaths parks etc.

http://www.theadvocate.com.au/story/1856172/council-considers-total-ban-on-dogs/?cs=87

Edited October 22, 2013 by pirate

[Flashsmum]

That's a dangerous precedent to set! I had a look on the LGAT website, but couldn't find the proposal. Do you have a link?

[flame ryder]

That's insane. If that legislation did come in and I lived in that area I'd move. Someone in that council must really hate dogs.

[mixeduppup]

That's freaking insane

[Trishm]

How absolutely ridiculous !!!

[Airedaler]

and when all of the dogs have gone what/who do the authorities blame then for illness etc?

[minimax]

... or they could work on enforcing the rules they have around picking up dog poo if there is that much of it on the ground that its a health risk

[Steph M]

That's insane. If that legislation did come in and I lived in that area I'd move. Someone in that council must really hate dogs.

How awful. I agree wholeheartedly.

What a shitty shitty law. What could possibly be the benefit?

[pirate]

Here is the link to the proposed new dog control act. The government is bringing in new legislation for the control of dogs. We have a group that are starting to fight the changes.

http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/local_government/dog_control

[Steph M]

Here is the link to the proposed new dog control act. The government is bringing in new legislation for the control of dogs. We have a group that are starting to fight the changes.

http://www.dpac.tas.gov.au/divisions/local_government/dog_control

Are you in the area or just (rightly) against it setting a precedent? If you need support or (interstate) numbers please yell out. This is nightmarish!

[pirate]

I live in Tasmania and l want to be able to walk and play with my dogs.

[Steph M]

I live in Tasmania and l want to be able to walk and play with my dogs.

Of course!

[Tempus Fugit]

Why restrict the issue to domestic animals? I have been to ovals (where children play football) that are covered in bird droppings. Feral birds have all sorts of parasites on or in them. In country areas I have found picnic and camping grounds littered with wombat turds (which are as big as dog turds). If not wombats, the grounds are covered in roo and wallaby poo and the poo of other ferals.

Probably the mayor had a close encounter of the turd kind and is now throwing a hissy fit.

[kelpiecuddles]

I'd be interested to know how they have factored in the proven reduced health outcomes for communities without accessible walking paths. It has been shown that communities where there are no footpaths have much poorer health outcomes than those that do. By restricting dog owners from accessing footpaths they are liable to create poorer health in their community and open themselves up to increased need for medical and other health facilities in order to compensate.

But hey, who wants to look at the bigger picture!

[Maddy]

I think suggestions that they're planning to ban dogs from footpaths are a bit silly. Under the current act, councils can already declare areas as restricted or prohibited so I don't understand the panic over this. In the Launceston City Council area, dogs are prohibited from playgrounds and schools (which is sensible, in my opinion) and restricted to on lead only for certain wildlife areas. They're also prohibited (from memory) from two malls. The doom and gloom predicted hasn't happened under current legislation and I doubt that will be any different with the proposed changes.

[flame ryder]

so if dogs are banned from footpaths what's a dog walker meant to do? Walk on the road and be a nuisance to traffic or risk getting run over?

[cannibalgoldfish]

In the Launceston City Council area, dogs are prohibited from playgrounds and schools (which is sensible, in my opinion) and restricted to on lead only for certain wildlife areas.

and you just to look at how many off lead dogs you see in these areas to see how much actual enforcing the council actually does...

[Snoopy21]

The fact is that very few of the current dog legislations are enforced Tassie. There are just not the staff to manage it all it seems. Adding more won't help.

[Maddy]

In the Launceston City Council area, dogs are prohibited from playgrounds and schools (which is sensible, in my opinion) and restricted to on lead only for certain wildlife areas.

and you just to look at how many off lead dogs you see in these areas to see how much actual enforcing the council actually does...

Exactly. Current laws don't get enforced, people do what they want. Maybe if people obeyed the current laws, there'd be less of a push to get those laws tightened up.

so if dogs are banned from footpaths what's a dog walker meant to do? Walk on the road and be a nuisance to traffic or risk getting run over?

That's not what's happening though. Before we get our knickers in a knot over things like that, it's worth reading the legislation carefully and looking at how existing legislation has been applied. To date, it's been sensible and very, very reasonable. Unlike some of the reactions in this thread.

[Snoopy21]

I agree Maddy. I can't see any of the councils in Tasmania being unreasonable about dog access to footpaths etc. I do stand by my comment about the lack of resources etc. though. We have had quite a few issues over the years, with no staff being available on weekends and so on. Recently my dad had his cat killed and was bitten himself in his own backyard by roaming dogs. He reported the event to the council (he was very traumatised), but it was a weekend. The ranger on call told dad he would come out looking for the roaming dogs; he not only failed to do so, but also did not write a report or leave a note for the ranger on during the week. Dad's vet happened to follow up on it and the regular ranger knew nothing. Making new legislation means nothing when the existing legislation is not enforced.