Dick Murray graduated in veterinary science in 1973. Soon after graduating he became interested in how communities manage their pets. He is now well known in municipal pet management circles for his work as an author, researcher and consultant, and for his contributions to professional education activities. He also runs a busy veterinary practice in Townsville Qld.

Helen Penridge has qualifications in science, librarianship, journalism and training. She works as an information consultant offering research, writing and editorial services to science and industry. Her special interest is the use of multimedia for technical communication and training.

When we wrote the first edition of this book, municipal pet management (MPM) was in its infancy in Australia and New Zealand. Although many local authorities were concerned about the problems caused by pets, reliable statistics were scarce and proven management approaches were scarcer still. MPM was in the too-hard basket.

Since then, many things have changed:

ï Optimism has replaced the helplessness that pervaded the MPM scene five years ago. Local authorities no longer ignore problems. Instead, many are applying modern management techniques to their pet management operations. They are trialing new programs and reporting their successes and failures.

ï With this change in attitude has come a growing body of hard data on MPM.

ï As the body of knowledge grows, municipal pet managers are becoming more informed, better trained and more professional. This trend has been supported by professional education initiatives.

ï Community education activities have increased. Consequently, the public is more aware of MPM issues.

ï Cats have now become an important community issue.

The first edition, Dogs in the Urban Environment, no longer reflects the leading edge of MPM in Australia and New Zealand. Enter the second edition, Dogs and Cats in the Urban Environment.

The first edition offered readers a systematic approach to MPM. Readers will find the same emphasis on systems in this second edition.

But this edition also contains much that is new. It includes material on management of cats for the first time. It also includes new material on applying modern management techniques such as corporate planning and quality service management to the MPM area. As well as looking at the underlying principles of effective MPM, we have been able to include much more material on practical approaches to MPM. Statistical information in the book has been updated and accounts of innovative MPM techniques have been added.

In many ways, writing this new edition has been easier than writing the first. First time around, there was little published information available and our people networks were narrow. As a result some of our conclusions were based on anecdotal evidence rather than hard facts. The book had a distinctly Queensland flavour.

For the past five years, the Australian Veterinary Association (AVA) has sponsored, with others, annual national conferences devoted to Australian MPM. Meanwhile, in New Zealand, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Auckland has joined other groups in organising annual Companion Animal Workshops.

One legacy of these conferences has been published proceedings, each packed with ideas, reports and hard data. A second legacy has been the development of active networks of MPM practitioners in Australia and New Zealand.

This second edition has been completely rewritten. We drew new material from the conference proceedings and from the networks of MPM experts. Other material comes from academic journals and reports of various government and non-government agencies. Readers will find this edition takes a broader view than the first edition.

With this edition, instead of having too little information to present, we sometimes felt we had too much. We did not want to abandon the readable style of the first edition but neither did we want to discard pages of valuable information.

Our solution has been to produce two interlinked publications. This book, Dogs and Cats in the Urban Environment, is the first publication. It brings together in one volume the essential themes of MPM in Australia and New Zealand today.

The second publication, PetPlan, is distributed on CD. It comprises three parts: first, an encyclopaedic reference to MPM in Australia and New Zealand; second, a training package for newly recruited Pet Management Officers; and third, an Internet component directly accessible from within PetPlan. The three parts are interlinked. Users of PetPlan are able to call up to their computer screens:

ï the full text of Dogs and Cats in the Urban Environment

ï more information on many issues that are touched upon in Dogs and Cats in the Urban Environment

ï images and resumes of a range of MPM personalities

ï lists of references for further reading

ï entries from the directory of MPM products and services

MPM practitioners are able to access specific pieces of information as they need them using a detailed index.

Trainees, on the other hand, are guided through PetPlan on a predetermined route. They are able to test themselves for recall and understanding against a battery of pre-loaded questions. They can also complete a number of tasks to develop their understanding of the PetPlan training material as it relates to their local circumstances. The major product of the training process is a tailored, personal procedure manual covering the basic tasks of a beginning Pet Management Officer.

Our aim has been to produce practical publications for people to use in their day-to-day work. We see Dogs and Cats in the Urban Environment and its companion publication, PetPlan, being used by all the people who are involved in the management of urban animals at the community level: pet management officers, veterinarians, councillors, environmental officers, recreation officers, park planners, doctors, teachers, dog trainers and so on.

Every municipality is different ñ different people, different pets, different politics, different urban landscape. There is no single right way to MPM.

As with the first edition, we do not attempt to prescribe a perfect MPM system; rather we offer readers a management framework and an extensive range of possible MPM techniques. With these building blocks, services can be tailored to meet local needs.

Some readers didnít agree with everything we said in the first edition. Some had different ideas. They wrote to us. We were pleased that they joined the fray, and we revised our views in the light of their evidence.

Now, five years on, we still donít pretend to have all the answers, but we are still calling it as we see it. We have received no financial assistance from any outside sources and there are no hidden agendas. What you see is what you get. If you feel disquieted by anything we have reported or said, we hope you will raise these matters in whatever forums are available to you. MPM needs your new ideas too.

So we wish you every success in your search for better ways. May this book ease the journey. Let us know how you go.

Dick Murray
Helen Penridge