Kingborough Dog Owner’s Handbook

I would like to begin by paying my respects to the palawa people, of lutruwita/Tasmania. In particular, the mouheneener people, the traditional owners and custodians of the land that we are on today. I pay my respects to their elders past, present and emerging.

Mr President, this morning I am sharing a story of collaboration, compromise and community. It is a story that proves that when people really listen to each other, engage with each other, and work together in good faith, the whole community benefits.

I was privileged to attend the recent launch of the Kingborough Dog Owner’s Handbook. This beautifully presented publication has a wealth of information on enjoying your dog. Sections include things to consider when choosing a dog, ideas for socialising and exercising your dog, a guide to reading your dog’s body language and tips on how to be a responsible dog owner within the community. It covers things like being mindful that some people are scared of dogs and how to manage that, and even tips on how to re-home your dog if this option becomes necessary.

It was obvious at the launch that everyone associated with this Handbook was very proud to have been a part of it, and rightly so. But these collaborators have not always been like-minded, or on the same team. And this is what makes this handbook so special.

Dr Peter McIntosh, President of the Kingborough Dog Walking Association, and Kingborough Mayor Dean Winter both gave brief accounts of the Handbook’s history. I will share some of it with you shortly. But first, I’ve been doing a little research about the benefits of dog ownership.

Some are pretty obvious – daily walks are good for you and your dog. Children who grow up with dogs are less likely to have allergies. And many studies have shown that owning a dog decreases blood pressure and stress levels in their owners and people with dogs report feeling safer and generally more positive about life. But did you know that a dog might also improve your social life, with people more likely to stop and talk with you when you are walking a dog? Or that there are even a number of reports of dogs detecting early cancers in their owners and of dogs having the ability to alert their owner to an imminent epileptic seizure? So owning a dog could literally save your life. Dogs have the ability to transcend cultural, physical, socioeconomic and racial differences – and as this story shows – community differences too.

The Kingborough Dog Walking Association was the first dog walking association in Tasmania. It began with less than 10 members in 1998 in response to The Parks and Wildlife Service taking over the management of what is now the Peter Murrell Reserve in Huntingfield. The Parks and Wildlife Service intended to ban dogs from the new Reserve. This did not sit well with several local dog-loving residents who formed an Incorporated Body to represent the community. The group successfully reached a dog-on-lead compromise with the PWS which still applies today. The Kingborough Dog Walking Association has now grown to well over 100 members.

The objectives of the association are to:

• Lobby for the retention and enhancement of suitable dog walking areas in the municipality of Kingborough for the use of members.
• Encourage members to have their dogs under “Effective Control” at all times.
• Encourage formation of other “Dog Walking” associations within the state.
• Enhance the image of well controlled dogs as a benefit to society.
• To liaise with appropriate bodies associated with the Peter Murrell Reserve and other areas within the municipality and to
• Encourage members to assist with the enhancement of these areas.

And now we come to our story…

In 2017-18, the Kingborough Council commenced its 5-yearly review of its Dog Management Plan in accordance with the requirements of the Dog Control Act 2000 and a consultation draft policy was released in 2018. Feedback on the first draft of the Policy was overwhelmingly negative, particularly from dog owners, who make up about 40% of Kingborough households. Many of the submissions received found the language used bureaucratic and legalistic and some suggested the policy should contain information in relation to the benefits of dog ownership and provide details on how to be a responsible owner. The growing tensions around the review of the Dog Management Plan culminated in June 2018 when over 600 people attended a public rally to protest the draft policy. And the Council listened. They listened and acted.

Following the rally, the Kingborough Council initiated a second consultation process which received over 500 comments and suggestions and 105 written submissions. However, Council staff were constrained by both the prescriptive requirements of the Dog Control Act and the standard template required for all Council policies. It was clear there needed to be a way around this so that the Council could meet its legislative obligations while still addressing the needs of the community.

One recommendation of the extended consultation process was that the Council collaborate with the Kingborough Dog Walking Association to develop a document to support the Policy that could be written in less formal language and focus more on public education and less on enforcement.

The original idea came from Councillor Richard Atkinson (who resigned from Council earlier this year). The Kingborough Dog Walking Association were enthusiastic in their support of the concept. The notion of a Dog Owners’ Handbook was subsequently formally endorsed by Council and it was agreed to progress the development of the document once the final draft of the Policy was approved.

The first joint Kingborough Dog Walking Association and Kingborough Council workshop resulted in a whiteboard covered with ideas and the allocation of writing tasks to the handbook sub-committee – Georgia Clark, Venie Phillips, Tony Walch, Katrina Ward and Peter McIntosh. Peter took on the unenviable task of editing the multi-author document into a single voice and every section, every edit was reviewed by Dr Katrina Ward, an animal behaviourist who ensured the information was evidence-based, and free from the ‘pet theories’ of a good-meaning group of dog-lovers. Everyone associated with this project has mentioned the significant contribution of Kingborough Council’s Amanda Morton. She turned 40 references, one diagram and 12 pages of
‘dense dog management’ text into a heart-warming, colourful and engaging publication.

Others who made a significant contribution include other members of the Kingborough Dog Walking Association committee; Maureen Robinson, Maggie Hunter, Carol Baines, Pru Cooper, Ailsa Richards and Belinda Fenney-Walch. And from Kingborough Council; Daniel Smee, Danielle Azevedo, Kelly Nichols, Scott Basham, Sarah Wilcox and Stephanie Velini. Quite a team effort!

The Handbook was launched on Saturday 9 November by Kingborough Mayor, Dean Winter and has been well received by the community.

If fact, Councillor Winter wrote to me yesterday to give his own glowing testament – he said: “I used the book myself when I got home from the launch, read chapter 1 (which is about selecting your dog) with my 4 year old son and we picked a cavoodle.  So a cavoodle named Buzz arrived on Wednesday last week.  He has fitted in very well, so the book works!”

The Handbook is available on Council’s website and in hard copy from the Civic Centre at 15 Channel Highway, Kingston. But this is a living document, which will evolve in the years to come to meet the needs of dog-owners and the dogless alike.

I congratulate the KDWA and Kingborough Council on a successful, community-building collaboration.