They say that every dog has their day.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
And with policy allowing new on-leash beach permits across nearly all Nambucca Heads beaches about to go on public exhibition, perhaps that day will be very soon indeed.
At last Thursday’s general meeting, councillors voted to exhibit draft changes to its Companion Animals policy which will allow dogs to walk in lockstep with their owners from the western access point of Shelly Beach all the way to Swimming Creek – where dogs are then allowed to scamper unfettered along a 3.5km stretch of off-leash beach to Valla.
This should come as a welcome piece of legislation for many, considering there are numerous dog owners who already use the space between Shelly and Main beaches as a doggy diversion.
While the eastern portion of Shelly (the sheltered bay and the adjacent headland rocks) will remain a no-go zone for precocious pups, ensuring those who like their beaches canine-free will also be catered for.
But there are those who will likely feel ripped off by the council’s compromise to its Companion Animals policy after a petition to install a “small dog park” was turned down.
The letter accompanying the 250-or-so signatures pleaded the case for a “safe, contained area”.
“While there are some off-leash areas in Nambucca, not all residents – particularly the elderly which comprise a large component of the population in Nambucca – are comfortable allowing their dogs off-leash in an uncontained area, as not all residents can run after their dogs,” the letter said.
But the council rejected the proposal on a number of grounds including safety, cost and existing off-leash areas.
“The safety issues associated with dog parks was raised where it was put forward by a behavioural expert that such parks should be banned as they put the safety of people and their dogs at risk,” council said.
This is because the dog park is fenced and some dogs feel threatened by other dogs who look to assert their territory and they feel as if they have nowhere to go. This results in inevitable attacks which are commonplace in many dog parks.
The reasoning continued that a fence can often make dog owners complacent.
Council also argued that while the petition called for a park specifically for small dogs, council was in no position to monitor and regulate which size and breeds of dogs used such a space.
The draft ‘Companion Animals Control of Dogs and Cats Policy’ will be on exhibition at council chambers shortly and will be exhibited for 28 days.
Mel Leigh Dee
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
Mel is a journalist at the Guardian News and is based in Macksville.
