Change through community consultation - a case study
PETER ADAMSON, BELINDA BEYNON, ARTHUR HOUSE, ALICIA KENNEDY
Abstract
A local city council in Western Australia was put under pressure to enforce a 'blanket' ban on dogs in certain parks in that area. These developments caused a great deal of concern within the dog owning community.
This paper outlines the steps taken by a local private veterinary hospital in response to this proposed action.
Following a program of education and communication positive steps were taken towards the development of an urban animal management advisory committee in the region and a strategy for urban animal management.
Introduction
In 1995 Rockingham City Council came under considerable pressure to ban dogs in certain parks and public areas. Sporting groups and other citizens using parks objected to:
- Excessive dog excreta, and
- Unruly and antisocial dog behaviour.
These citizens began to exert considerable influence. Many letters of objection were received by council in a concerted and well organised effort to try to eliminate antisocial habits and unruly dog behaviour in parks and public open space. As a result of this pressure councillors felt obliged to act on behalf of this group.
These citizens were concerned about health and aesthetic principles. Many were outraged. At the time the council thought that the best course of action was to ban dogs in certain public areas including the city square.
The Veterinarians at Malibu Veterinary Hospital disagreed with the blanket ban approach. We were concerned that some dog owners would become more defiant in response to the imposition of by laws banning dogs. Ultimately such action on the part of these owners could substantially retard progress in responsible urban animal management strategies. Similarly we felt that a precedent could be set and bans could be extended to many other parks.
Many of our Veterinary Hospital clients expressed similar concerns. A reasonable percentage of these clients are elderly citizens without transport. These people were worried that parks in close proximity to their homes, in which they exercised their dogs, may become 'No dog zones'.
As the professionals in petcare and urban animal management we elected to act as a catalyst for community discussion on the broad subject of urban animal management. The banning of dogs in parks was one issue among many on which we intended to encourage debate. It was our view that citizens were entitled to be vociferous and annoyed by the doggy events taking place in their parks. We also felt that dog owners had a right to use public open space in a responsible and considerate manner.
To be an effective catalyst in this debate we saw our role primarily as educators. We also felt that it was important to provide a forum for discussion. Ultimately the realisation of two important goals would help improve urban animal management in our city.
Goal 1
The establishment of an urban animal management advisory committee to advise council on important issues.
Goal 2
To develop an urban animal management strategy to plan for the future needs of our rapidly growing city.
About the author
Peter Adamson
Davies Adamson and Associates
Malibu Veterinary Hospital
120 Malibu Road
Safety Bay WA 6168
Telephone (09) 528 3333
Facsimile (09) 592 3551
Peter Adamson graduated from the School of Veterinary Studies Murdoch University in 1979. He completed his Internship and Residency in Equine Medicine and Surgery at Murdoch University and the University of California, Davis CA. He is the principal of Malibu Veterinary Hospital in the City of Rockingham, Western Australia. Malibu Veterinary Hospital is a community leader in veterinary medicine and urban animal management. The hospital has been a Telstra Small Business award winner for the area in three of the past five years.
Back to Urban Animal Management Conference Index
Back to Petnet