The importance of dog in our community

Firstly let me declare my bias and interest in this topic. I am a Veterinarian who has worked in the Clarence Municipality for 37 years and I am also a dog owner who currently lives in Bellerive.

In my time in the Veterinary profession I have observed enormous change in terms dogs' importance to, and where dogs fit within our families .

They have gone from living outside, often with kennels, runs and chains to being inside as often as they want, commonly sleeping inside and often on our beds.

The word 'pet' has, in my view, become obsolete. They are now family members.

They have known and demonstrable benefit to your health and mental well being.

They give joy to our children, companionship to our lonely and comfort to our sick and elderly. They come on our holidays with us and are pampered as very special family members.

Dogs have toys, beds, special foods and coats. They go to puppy pre-schools, day care centres and have large amounts of money spent on their health.

The COVID pandemic has seen a huge uptake in the amount of pet ownership and the amount of time and money people are spending on their dogs. Dog ownership has never been more important to our community.

Bellerive beach is a great social outing for dogs and their owners. People see each other regularly, know each others dogs and each other. Dogs get to know each other and look forward to a walk full of playing. I am sure it is a highlight of many people's day.

Along with the change in position in the family has come a greater awareness of responsibly pet ownership.

This has been contributed to by Councils and governments being more active in this area. An example is the provision of pooh bags at beaches and recreation areas for dog owners. What a brilliant idea which has helped change attitudes to the point where most dog owners will pick up their dog's pooh.

Dog desexing rates have improved to the point where it is unusual for our practices to see non de-sexed dogs. At a professional level I would say that dog bite wounds are less common than in times gone by, albeit that I do not have statistics to support that view.

People are increasingly aware of their responsibilities around dog aggression and un-sociable behaviour. There is a greater understanding of the need for control of our dogs. There are increasing numbers of people offering dog training and behaviour modification services. These, along with Puppy pre-school training, day care centres and Veterinary intervention as needed mean that overall our dogs are better behaved and more sociable.

In conclusion I would summarise as follows:

• Dogs are such an important part of our lives, and this level of importance is greater than ever.
• Beaches are a great place to exercise and socialise our dogs providing a highlight for them and their owner's day
• Dog behaviour and owner's awareness of responsible pet ownership has and is continuing to improve.
• I applaud the council for restricting dogs on the beaches but believe the current restrictions are completely adequate and would not want to see further restrictions. Doing so would, in my view make exercising and enjoying the companionship of a dog more difficult.

Thank you for your consideration of this view point.

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you feel the need.

Regards,

Dr Andrew Dudgeon

0427818500

adudgeon@tvh.vet