Residents Growl at Ongoing Dog Issues

Filed in Recent News by August 29, 2018

LAST night residents of Murrurundi met to discuss their concerns with domestic dogs menacing the town Council was present, however the police were unavailable.

Community members detailed their experiences of being attacked, bailed up and feeling unable to walk the streets without carrying a stick to protect themselves.

Key issues raised at the meeting included the reporting and follow up of problem dogs, Council’s consideration a by-law for restrictions on hunting dogs and penalties for dog owners.

The Mayor, Wayne Bedggood, said that it was primarily the responsibility of dog owners to control their animals, “owners aren’t doing the right thing and that’s where things are breaking down.”

However, community members then discussed the difficulty in reporting issues with confusion over if police or Council should be notified and accounts were given of breakdowns in the handling process by both Council and police.

The distinction was made that if it is a criminal matter, such as a dog attack or damage to property it should be reported to police in the first instance, whereas if it is a nuisance dog or menacing dog such as barking or roaming the streets, it should be reported to Council.

Community members were advised to ask for an event number when they have reported a matter to police and a complaint number when reporting to the Council to ensure the matter is properly recorded and followed through.

The general manager of Council, Steve McDonald said that Council recognised there was a problem with surveillance of problem dogs and were taking steps to address the issue across the Shire.

He said they had written to the Minister to voice their concerns about the 72 hour time frame in the legislation which states a dog must be seized within 72 hours of an attack, but can not be seized after that period.

“We’ve been speaking with the local area commander to work together more closely on dog control and we are training more staff in this area,” he said.

“We have two rangers, but we need someone in the area for a quicker response, so we have trained up another four staff and we want to have staff throughout the Shire,” Steve McDonald said.

The Council also said they had began increased surveillance on dogs which had been reported and were often conducting those patrols in plain vehicles, so people may not be aware Council are monitoring.

Since August 1 Council has received 30 complaints from throughout the Shire, but only one from the Murrurundi area.

“The more people who report the issue, the more it escalates the issue,” said Mr McDonald.

The community present at the meeting resolved that people should be encouraged to report nuisance and menacing dogs in the first instance, before becoming dangerous dogs and attacking people or property.

  • In the case of a dog attack or damage to property: Phone Police and record an event number: 02 6542 6999
  • In the case of a nuisance or menacing dog: Phone Council and record a complaint number: 02 6540 1100
  • Council has an after-hours number which can be used to report non-emergency events: 02 6540 1199
  • NOTE: There is a 72 hour period in which a dog can be seized following an attack.

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