In support of Clover Moore's amazing work to make the City of Sydney dog-friendly, (read their policy here), Pema and I went into the CBD for a day's work. We went to St. Vincent's hospital first. In the lift from the carpark I was told that my dog was a health risk. I asked, then why are sick people in the hospital and we are out here? (Pema is a hospital visiting dog, anyway). And is she more of a risk than I am having just had the flu and a major stomach bug? NO ONE CAN TELL US WHAT THIS 'HEALTH ISSUE' is about dogs - and why guide dogs ARE NOT a health issue.It's a myth and Barking Mad is debunking it - stay tuned for our report.We had a conference with one of our solicitor's - we have so many interesting cases. In a crowded legal office, Pema had a snooze under a desk. I must write up the case of the dog being fined when crossing the beach from a boat to a water-access home. It was thrown out of court last week, with a slap on the wrist to Pittwater Council, who the Judge was quite critical of. We need more cases. If you were fined for being responsible (but illegal), we can help you contest it.
While crossing the road at a busy intersection, my dog broke the law - AGAIN! She was interested in a border collie-x walking across from the other direction. This dog was interested in her, too - so they BOTH broke the law because they RUSHED at each other. Yep, rushing at any person or dog means the owner is guilty of an offence. Strict Liability - meaning the REASON it was lunging isn't relevant. Check out this silly law. Both dogs were on leads, the other folks in the crossing thought it was cute, I thought the dog AND its' owner were cute. All-in-all it brought a smile to a few bleak faces on a windy, cold day.
We then went to District Court and Pema went through her first x-ray machine. I've been in court for years now because I was defrauded from a business and my superannuation. That's why I ended up getting a dog and that's when I realised I was limited in where I could go and that's why I started Barking Mad! This was Pema's first visit and she was a big hit with the registry folks on level 9.
Then to the bank where she wasn't even noticed tied under the table just inside the doors, while I did business there for 20 minutes. (5 minutes of business and 15 minutes of waiting). We had a rest in Hyde (Australia's first) Park, welcoming the lack of 'no-dogs' signs. We also had a look at the Anzac Memorial. Then off to our 5 star hotel for the Barking Mad top-dog, top-drop thinking and drinking (board) meeting. After nearly two hours, we were kindly told that no dogs were allowed, so we moved Pema to the car to wait. The management at this hotel will talk to us about the pros and cons of being a pet-friendly hotel. They are very supportive of Barking Mad and what we are achieving.
