Sarah, front, and Megan Kirby with dogs Abby and Max. By Paul Dunlop
PEOPLE calling for an offleash dog park want to add bite to their bark.
Moves are afoot to establish a dog social club that would take a lead in lobbying for a place where pets can roam free.
Pakenham resident Ed Kirby said residents keen to see an offleash park, common in city areas, should band together if they wanted to achieve a result.
Mr Kirby, who has two dogs, said many people had shown support for the offleash park after the issue was raised in the Gazette last month.
“It is time for the community to respond to this need for an offleash park,” Mr Kirby said.
State regulations require all dog owners to keep dogs on a leash when outside their own property.
Mr Kirby said there was nowhere in the town — or elsewhere in Cardinia Shire — where dog lovers could exercise their pets unrestrained without breaking the law.
“It’s time we dog owners take some responsibility for the direct socialisation and training of our pets.
“Dogs need freedom for their wellbeing. Dogs need to socialise in a neutral park with their owner on hand to look after them and care for the surroundings.
“This is the owners’ responsibility just as we would do for our children’s welfare.”
Residents supporting an offleash park can register their interest at meetings at the LLINC building in Henry Street on Thursday (78pm) and Friday (11am12 noon).
Mr Kirby said having an offleash park would mean dog owners, particular those with bigger dogs, could let their pets get the workout they needed without presenting a safety risk to other residents.
Owners of dogs left uncontrolled in public areas face hefty fines.
Authorities say the stance is in the interests of community safety. They say many dog attacks could have been prevented had the animal been on a leash.
Cardinia Shire officials said they would certainly look at the issue if there were sufficient demand. Council has previously considered the idea but decided not to proceed.
Cardinia communications and governance manager Doug Evans said the main problem with an offleash dog park was finding an appropriate location.
“The area needs to be effectively fenced, it needs to be out of the way yet accessible and you need to make sure it is not in close proximity to a school.”
“Finding shireowned land that meets all the criteria is not an easy task and council found at the time that there not a huge demand for those areas.
“But if the demand grows as Pakenham and the surrounding grows then council would certainly look at it,” Mr Evans said.
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