Queensland government taskforce suggests dog owners should see jail time if their animals kill or badly injure someone

[asal]

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-04-19/qld-dangerous-dogs-owners-could-see-jail-time-if-animal-kills/102243754

[tdierikx]

I note that at no time has any government body/inquiry ever recommended education over regulation... and here we go again...

 

T.

[Kazm]

Government being reactive instead of proactive.

[Deeds]

In my area it's the lack of enforcement by council officers.  There have been cases around here where council haven't even contacted witnesses whose details were recorded in the written complaint . 

 

Council  dismissed the attacks entirely saying there wasn't enough evidence to proceed .  And that's what witnesses are for to support the attack complaints and give their version of what they witnessed.

[Little Gifts]

I'm assuming this came out of the case where the meter reader was killed and I'm hoping they look at the locations behind attacks such as if the dogs were loose, family pet mauling a family member at the family home, family pet mauling a stranger at the family home, etc as I think the potential trigger for the attack is also very important to learn from.

 

I am in the Logan area of Brisbane and at present we have a HUGE loose dogs issue. It seems to have crept in over about the last 6 months. Perhaps it is linked with the housing crisis and people having to live at places not totally suited to their circumstances or people lying to real estates about not owning a pet so they can't formally change fencing, but every breed known to man (including very expensive ones) are wandering the streets, some owners looking for them, some owners not and the finders desperate to make contact with them via social media so they don't have to drop at the pound. I pretty much see a loose dog in busy traffic every day I am out now. Don't see any ranger vehicles driving around though so I guess they are leaving that side of their jobs to the locals and social media to do (OK that's probably unfair but where are they?).

 

Having owned a serial escape artist (I had to move houses to resolve the issue) it is hard not to be judgey, because it is the dogs who end up doing pound time while the owners just complain how much it costs to spring them and never fix the containment issues. So many people hate on pounds and finders who take them to pounds, but I understand not everyone can hold a stray dog indefinately and at least they aren't at risk of being hit by a car or being involved in a fight with another dog. Then of course you have the issue of unfriendly loose dogs or traumatised and difficult to catch ones (got several littlies hiding in bushland around here at present).

 

I wish there was education (isn't that part of what the RSPCA get funding for???) to inform pet owner responsibility as there are lots of new dog owners out there who don't seem to naturally get it. That recent thread by the trainer of a declared dog trying to rehome it- he works in the industry and doesn't know the rules even! I thought we had mandatory micro-chipping up here too but still so many animals chips don't lead to an owner.

 

There are so many other already legislated areas we need to tighten up around dogs that could reduce risks of harm to them, other animals and humans that I hope this taskforce explores too.

Edited April 21, 2023 by Little Gifts

[sandgrubber]

Perhaps firing dog control officers who fail to respond to serious complaints would work better.

[tdierikx]

It doesn't help that most councils have some stupid clause in their rules that require members of the public to contain strays before rangers will come pick them up @Little Gifts - at least that's how it seems to work here in Sydney. It's very rare that you'll convince a ranger to come out and catch a stray wandering dog nowadays... apparently it's some OHS thing... *sigh*... so it's OK for a member of the public to possibly endanger themselves or their pets (by containing strays on their own properties), but dog forbid someone who is supposedly trained in, and being paid for, handling animals should be doing the same.

 

The case of the meter reader was a bit different though. The dogs on that property were known to be dangerous, and were supposed to be locked behind some barrier when the owners had been notified that their meter was to be read. There are conflicting stories as to whether the owners had been notified that the reader guy was going to attend that day, or that the meter reader had been informed that the dogs had been contained. The main cause of that incident was a communication issue and/or complacency that all prior arrangements had been completed before the reader attended the property.

 

As for education about animal owner responsibilities, it seems that all parties that could or should be performing that function are having difficulties in actually following through with delivery. Councils (and RSPCA) will point to their websites as containing that information, but it will not always be very easy to find... and let's not get into how bloody hard it is to find the actual local by-laws regarding animals on any council websites... trust me, I have tried as part of my duties with Animal Care Australia, and it's almost as though they don't actually want you to find them... grrr!

 

I have been through all council websites in SA (69 councils), NT (17 councils), Tasmania (27 councils), ACT (1 site), and WA (139 councils) so far, looking for and at their local by-laws regarding animals and when they are all up for review/changes. I still have to go through NSW (128 councils), Qld (77 councils), and Victoria (79 councils), but it's hard slog, and I'd love some help if anyone would like to join Animal Care Australia's STAT group. We are trying to proactively be aware of when those local laws are reviewed and monitoring for changes that may be detrimental to pet ownership getting passed through when the public aren't usually aware that any consultation process is happening regarding those local laws. Generally, every council is required to review and/or amend those local laws every 4-5 years, so if the public are blissfully unaware of when that is happening, then we end up with stupid rules being enacted that no-one is actually aware of until they are caught out by them. Same goes for state based legislation... generally the public isn't actually aware of any changes being proposed until AFTER such changes are enacted and media releases occur... and by then it's too late to have a say...

 

The animal rights movement has a very slick and well-oiled media/"education" machine, which means that they are gaining more and more traction with regards to influencing local laws, and state/federal legislation regarding animal ownership... and I think it's time that we ALL step up and become more aware of how we can be involved in shaping animal related laws - or we are soon going to find ourselves so restricted that it's impossible to actually have animals in our lives at all.

 

T.

[Adrienne]

 

22 hours ago, Little Gifts said:

I'm assuming this came out of the case where the meter reader was killed

I too am thinking this is for situations like the meter man tragedy where the owner just did so many things wrong in order to suit himself and the consequences were catastrophic. Even if this comes into law I doubt most owners will feel the full force of it - certainly not if their dog has not already been declared a dangerous dog. 

 

 

22 hours ago, Little Gifts said:

I am in the Logan area of Brisbane and at present we have a HUGE loose dogs issue. It seems to have crept in over about the last 6 months. Perhaps it is linked with the housing crisis and people having to live at places not totally suited to their circumstances or people lying to real estates about not owning a pet so they can't formally change fencing

Unsuitable fencing is a huge issue for dog owners when they are trying to find a rental and I have spent thousands over thirty years of renting repairing and installing fencing (and I had never owned an "escape artist" dog so was able to get away with dog mesh and fairly flimsy affairs to keep my dog effectively contained). I cannot imagine how frustrating it would be to have a dog/s which truly need full on proper fencing (high enough and no dig paver strip under fence line) and have to make do with what is available in most yards. I wonder how many properties incurr damage to the house because owners do not have sufficiently secure yards to leave their dogs in? 

 

22 hours ago, Little Gifts said:

Don't see any ranger vehicles driving around though so I guess they are leaving that side of their jobs to the locals and social media to do (OK that's probably unfair but where are they?

I live in a kinda posh area of Brisbane with large lot residential zoning (all very green and leafy and so on), my old dog used to go visit up the road to another house. Did this for years with no complaint and even local affection. Then a house on the street was sold and when the new people moved in they spotted my dog, took a photo, sent it to council and out they came to my home and warned me. I was cool with it all, I mean I knew it was wrong letting her do that so I had no truck with Council or even the people who reported her because they didn't know her. What I was surprised about was the alacrity with which Council responded! They did tell me now that people had phone cameras it was easier for people to provide evidence and identification of dogs repeatedly roaming.  So maybe photos of repeat offenders Little Gifts? (mind you who the hell has the time to do this, and getting an identifying photo of a pooch can be trickier than people think unless the dog is very distinctive in some way)

 

22 hours ago, Little Gifts said:

I wish there was education (isn't that part of what the RSPCA get funding for???)

YES!