Dog Management Policy draft review

Contributions to this consultation are now closed for evaluation and review.

Second stage of consultation results

The second stage of consultation closed on 28 July 2021. Thank you to everyone who took the time to have their say.

In total we had:
  • 990 digital survey responses via Your Say
  • 2 handwritten survey submissions
  • 41 emails and letters from the public
  • 7 letters from organisations
  • 1 petition
  • 2 in-person meetings
Officers are now compiling all the feedback which will be presented to Aldermen at a workshop on 6 September 2021.


First stage of consultation results

Thank you to everyone who took the time to have their say on the first stage of this record-breaking consultation.

In total we had:

  • 2944 digital survey responses via Your Say
  • 82 digital story submissions via Your Say
  • 24 handwritten survey submissions
  • 52 emails
  • 7 letters from the public
  • 5 letters from organisations
  • 2 petitions

The results from stage one of the consultation are available to download from the document library.

The fee structure was formally adopted at the council meeting on 31 May 2021 and is no longer part of the draft review.



Project Overview

We are undertaking the second stage of community consultation on the draft Dog Management Policy, and are seeking community feedback on the revised draft.

The first stage of consultation was to determine the community's feedback on a variety of proposed changes to inform the draft policy.

This second stage of consultation is the statutory component of the Dog Management Policy review process that puts a specific policy to the community for feedback.

This draft policy has been refined through consideration of the feedback received in the first stage of consultation, along with other considerations including health, safety and environmental factors.

Second round feedback will then be evaluated and a final version of the policy will be produced for formal consideration by council.


Background

The Dog Control Act of 2000 requires councils to develop and implement a policy relating to dog management within their municipal area and this policy must be formally reviewed every 5 years.

There have been two reviews of this policy since that time. These reviews were adopted by council on 25 February 2008 and 16 November 2015 respectively.

This year's draft was created after discussions with Parks and Wildlife, the Environmental Management branch of council, the Tracks and Trails committee and other relevant stakeholders.

Following a workshop with Aldermen in October 2020, an initial four-week period of consultation was conducted.

Running from 15 March until 12 April with a two-week extension of two weeks from 21 April to 4 May, it resulted in 3,216 responses, two petitions to council and other forms of feedback.

The feedback received during the first round of consultation was then presented to another workshop with Alderman, resulting in the revised draft now being considered during this second consultation period.

More information on dog ownership in Clarence and the Dog Management Policy can be accessed at https://www.ccc.tas.gov.au/living/animals/dogs/

UPDATE (16 July 2021):

We have today made the decision to remove question 8 currently being asked in our Your Say survey for the latest round of consultation on the Dog Management Policy.

The question has been mistakenly setup on a false premise that there are current reserve activity plans endorsed by council that recommend dogs be on-lead in the relevant reserve. This is incorrect and as a result we will be removing this question and we won’t rely on feedback collected so far on this question to shape the draft policy.

We apologise for the mistake and look forward to continuing to receive your feedback on this important policy in the remaining two weeks of consultation.

Further information on this decision can be read here.


Have Your Say

Have your say by

  • Completing the survey on the revised draft

This survey will close on Wednesday 28 July 2021.

The results of this consultation will inform the refinement of the draft master plan.


Second stage of consultation results

The second stage of consultation closed on 28 July 2021. Thank you to everyone who took the time to have their say.

In total we had:
  • 990 digital survey responses via Your Say
  • 2 handwritten survey submissions
  • 41 emails and letters from the public
  • 7 letters from organisations
  • 1 petition
  • 2 in-person meetings
Officers are now compiling all the feedback which will be presented to Aldermen at a workshop on 6 September 2021.


First stage of consultation results

Thank you to everyone who took the time to have their say on the first stage of this record-breaking consultation.

In total we had:

  • 2944 digital survey responses via Your Say
  • 82 digital story submissions via Your Say
  • 24 handwritten survey submissions
  • 52 emails
  • 7 letters from the public
  • 5 letters from organisations
  • 2 petitions

The results from stage one of the consultation are available to download from the document library.

The fee structure was formally adopted at the council meeting on 31 May 2021 and is no longer part of the draft review.



Project Overview

We are undertaking the second stage of community consultation on the draft Dog Management Policy, and are seeking community feedback on the revised draft.

The first stage of consultation was to determine the community's feedback on a variety of proposed changes to inform the draft policy.

This second stage of consultation is the statutory component of the Dog Management Policy review process that puts a specific policy to the community for feedback.

This draft policy has been refined through consideration of the feedback received in the first stage of consultation, along with other considerations including health, safety and environmental factors.

Second round feedback will then be evaluated and a final version of the policy will be produced for formal consideration by council.


Background

The Dog Control Act of 2000 requires councils to develop and implement a policy relating to dog management within their municipal area and this policy must be formally reviewed every 5 years.

There have been two reviews of this policy since that time. These reviews were adopted by council on 25 February 2008 and 16 November 2015 respectively.

This year's draft was created after discussions with Parks and Wildlife, the Environmental Management branch of council, the Tracks and Trails committee and other relevant stakeholders.

Following a workshop with Aldermen in October 2020, an initial four-week period of consultation was conducted.

Running from 15 March until 12 April with a two-week extension of two weeks from 21 April to 4 May, it resulted in 3,216 responses, two petitions to council and other forms of feedback.

The feedback received during the first round of consultation was then presented to another workshop with Alderman, resulting in the revised draft now being considered during this second consultation period.

More information on dog ownership in Clarence and the Dog Management Policy can be accessed at https://www.ccc.tas.gov.au/living/animals/dogs/

UPDATE (16 July 2021):

We have today made the decision to remove question 8 currently being asked in our Your Say survey for the latest round of consultation on the Dog Management Policy.

The question has been mistakenly setup on a false premise that there are current reserve activity plans endorsed by council that recommend dogs be on-lead in the relevant reserve. This is incorrect and as a result we will be removing this question and we won’t rely on feedback collected so far on this question to shape the draft policy.

We apologise for the mistake and look forward to continuing to receive your feedback on this important policy in the remaining two weeks of consultation.

Further information on this decision can be read here.


Have Your Say

Have your say by

  • Completing the survey on the revised draft

This survey will close on Wednesday 28 July 2021.

The results of this consultation will inform the refinement of the draft master plan.


Tell us what is important to you about dogs in Clarence

We want to hear from you about what matters to you regarding dogs in Clarence. Do you have a favourite walk you take with your dog? Perhaps you have a boisterous dog that loves the beaches in summer, or maybe you have a shy dog that is looking for a quiet place to walk on the lead? Or perhaps you don't own a dog but have had an encounter with one and have a story to share about how it affected you. By sharing your stories you will not only help council understand what matters to you but also those in the community who may think differently.

Thank you for sharing your story with us.
CLOSED: This discussion has concluded.

  • Dogs and Beaches

    by Melinda, about 3 years ago

    I have owned dogs in Howrah for over 20 years and one of the greatest pleasures for both them and i has been walking Howrah Beach.

    I believe the status quo for both Bellerive and Howrah beaches is important and retains the right balance between people and dogs.

    The majority of dogs I see on Howrah beach are well behaved and have responsible owners.

    Dogs are an important part of the Clarence Community . They may not be able to vote but their owners can.

    For a Council that appears to support Dogs (Dogs Day Out being an example) the... Continue reading

  • Dogs are vital.

    by Jessie John, about 3 years ago
    I was amazed to hear that the Clarence council are countenancing rules to change the current excellent rules re dogs on beaches. Everyone I talk to wants the plan to stay as is.

  • Mea Culpa

    by ptg69, about 3 years ago
    I am continually amazed by the number of dog owners whose dogs are not under effective control at the beach - after creating a nuisance, the typical response from the owner is "Oh,I'm sorry", but often no response at all.


    The meaning of effective dog control is clearly not understood by these people.

    It is time for a simpler and fairer dog policy.

    People who don't own dogs are entitled to use beaches free of nuisance dogs and dog faeces.

    Challenge anyone to find a popular beach in Clarence which is not riddled with dog faeces! And forget about "quiet... Continue reading

  • Freedom for dogs

    by Larraine , about 3 years ago
    Dogs love the freedom of of being off the lead so they can socialise with the other dogs. They enjoy the freedom of swimming, chasing balls, playing chasey. I'm a responsible dog owner and I care for the environment and while walking my dog I also pick up the rubbish on the beach.

    It's also healthy for me to be able to walk as a senior citizen on a flat surface which is the beach.


  • Responsible dog ownership

    by J, about 3 years ago

    I respect people wishing to have off-lead exercise options for their dogs, but, I have had several bad experiences by owners who either have their dogs off lead in on-lead areas (and then abuse me when I ask them to put their dogs on lead, or call their dog away from mine), or, dogs who race up to my dog and the owners have no control over their dogs when asked to call their dog away.


    Not all dogs are friendly and perhaps they don't enjoy having other dogs race up to them. Owners with dogs who prefer to have... Continue reading

  • Puppy loves Howrah and Bellerive Beach

    by Pam , about 3 years ago
    My puppy loves Howrah and Bellerive Beach and we really hope the dog management policy remains the same. Sections of beach (part of Bellerive and Little Howrah) remain for those who want a dogless experience.


    Pam



  • Reasonable dog owner 😁

    by Katherine, about 3 years ago
    I would just like to acknowledge that this is an important process and understand there would be many views on these decisions. I have lived on the eastern shore my whole life and absolutely love taking my dog to the beach. We mostly frequent seven mile and bellerive for a change. I respect the current rules in summer and have no issue with dogs being restricted on small busy beaches such as bellerive during the day however, I would hate to see dogs being restricted any further than they already are at beaches. I am not opposed to sections of... Continue reading

  • Mental health

    by Mike N, about 3 years ago
    Please consider the importance of people and dogs mental health in council's review of off lead beach areas for exercise.


    It's really important for dogs mental health to be off the lead and have the freedom to freely run, chase balls, explore, socialise with other dogs and swim.

    It's also an excellent opportunity for owners mental health by relaxing, unwinding, exercising and enjoying the beach with their pet.



  • Disappointing proposed changes

    by Gemma, about 3 years ago
    Dogs are members of families and support healthy lifestyles. It's ridiculous that a municipality that has some 10,000 dogs wants to further curtail spaces that are dog friendly. As a person living in the country in Kingborough (which has some really excellent areas) and moving to Clarence, the proposed changes are really concerning. Furthermore, off-lead areas are so important for dogs and owners to socialise and keep boredom at bay. Please don't take them away. Most dog owners are really responsible and work hard to train their dogs, bad behaviour is the exception, not the rule. We need more off-lead... Continue reading

  • "Effective Control" is not "Effective"

    by David, about 3 years ago
    The concept of "Effective Control" does nothing to protect non dog owners.

    The only dogs where effective control can be exhibited are Defence Force dogs and formally trained guard dogs. My interpretation of effective control is that the animal will resppond to the command of its handler. There may be some exceptions but, very few.. Dogs are are pack animal and will naturally respond to a number of triggers. Sometimes curiosity, response to what they perceive as a threat or just to ascert their place in the pack. Sadly this behaviour is often threatening to the child, adult or elderley... Continue reading