Gold Coast Council To Change Dog laws.

THE GOLD COAST COUNCIL IS REVIEWING ITS CONTROVERSIAL DOG LAWS
AFTER SUCCESSFUL COURT ACTION BY ANGRY PET OWNERS.

COUNCIL BUREAUCRATS HAVE ADMITTED TO FLAEWS IN THE SYSTEM AFTER
AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRES TERRIERS WERE MISTAKEN FOR BANNED PIT BULLS.

A NEW REPOT ON THE ISSUE, TO BE CONSIDERED BY GOLD COAST COUNCIL
ON MONDAY, LISTS REPEALING THE CONTENTIONS LAS AS ONE OPTION TO CIRCUMVENT THE PROBLEM.

HOWEVER, IT SAYS THAT WOULD RAISE DANGEROUS ISSUES OF LIABILITY AND COULD ENCOURAGE AN INFLUX OF PIT BULL'S TO THE CITY.

IT IS MORE LIKELY COUNCELLORS WILL AGREE TO A SIGNIFICANT ABOUT TURN ON THIER STRICT DOG POLICY BY ALLOWING BELATED REGISTRATION OF PIT BULLS THAT HAVE BEEN ON THE GOLD COAST FOR YEARS.

THE POTENTIAL CHANGES COME AFTER LAST WEEKS LAND MARK COURT CASE
WHICH SAW AN ALLEGED UNREGISTERED PIT BULL RETURNED TO ITS OWNER
ALTHOUGH THE COUNCIL CLAIMED IT SHOULD BE DESTROYED.


FONZIE WAS RESCUED FROM DEATH ROW AFTER HIS OWNER SUCCESSFULLY
CLAIMED HIS PET WAS AN AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRE TERRIER.

THE CITY COUNCIL'S TOUGH DOG LAWS CAME INTO EFFECT IN SEPTEMBER
2003 PROHIBITING PIT BULLS AND THERE CROSSBREEDS BEING REGISTERED IN THE CITY .


THOSE ALREADY REGISTERED WITH THE COUNCIL WERE ABLE TO REMAIN
FOR LIFE.

THE NEW REPORT, BY COUNCIL'S ANIMAL MANAGEMENT DIVISION ADMITS
THERE ARE SUFFICENT PROBLEM WITH BREED IDENTIFICATION BECAUSE PIT BULLS AND AMERICAN STAFFORDSHIRES ARE SO SIMILAR.

THE REPORT RECOMMENDS INCREASED TRAINING OF COUNCIL OFFICERS
SO THEY CAN BE BETTER IDENTIFY DANGEROUS DOGS.

ITS ALSO RECOMMENDS THE DOG LAWS BE CHANGED SO RESIDENTS WHO HAVE OWNED A DANGEROUS DOG FOR YEARS, BUT WHERE NOT AWARE
HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO BELATEDLY REGISTER THEIR PET.


UNDER THE CURRENT LAW ANY UNREGISTERED DOG DETERMINED TO BE A PIT BULL IS DESTROYED.

MAYOR RON CLARKE SAID THAT HE WANTED A VETERINARY PANEL SET UP INSTEAD OF USING COUNCIL OFFICERS TO IDENTIFY DANGEROUS DOGS .

HOWEVER, THE AUSTRALIAN VETERNARIAN ASSOCIATION DID NOT SUPPORT THE MOVE.

"AT LEAST WE CAN AMEND THE LAW SO PEOPLE WHO WERE CAUGHT SHORT AND DIDN'T NO THERE DOG WAS BANNED CAN STILL GET A PERMIT," SAID CR.CLARKE.


HE SAID REPEALING THE DANGEROUS DOG LAWS WAS SIMPLY NOT A FEASIBLE OPTION FOR THE COUNCIL .

"THAT LEAVES US WIDE OPEN FOR LITIGATION HE SAID,"HE SAID.

AS LONG AS WE CAN MAKE SURE PEOPLE RETAIN THIER PETS IF THEY ARE WELL BEHAVED , AND THATS'S BALANCED WITH BETTER TRAINING FOR OUR OFFICERS, THE SITUATION IS GOOD"

ACTING HEALTH AND COMMUNITY SERVICES CHAIRWOMEN CR JAN GREW
SAID THE PROBLEM REGARDING THE IDENTIFICATION OF PIT BULLS
WAS NOT RESTRICTED TO GOLD COAST CITY COUNCIL.

"ITS AN ISSUE GLOBALLY, " SAID CR GREW.

"ITS IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE ABSOLUTELY SURE OF THE BREED OF THE DOG", AND THAT'S QUITE DIFFICULT WHEN WE HAVE CROSSBREEDS.

"THATS WHY WE WILL HAVE INCREASED IDENTIFICATION TRAINING.








I AM OVER THE MOON, LETS CALL IT THE BEATTIE SIDE STEP.


TYBRAX NEWS- A CASE WILL BE BOUGHT FORWARD AGAINST THE GOLD COAST
COUNCIL IT WILL BE A TEST CASE TO MAKE WAY FOR FUTURE LAWSUITS FOR
COMPENSATION. FOR INFO CONTACT jmoko2@hotmail.com



tybrax