Barking Mad

The SMH was very busy with reporting dog news yest...

2009-10-26T15:06:03.249+11:00

The SMH was very busy with reporting dog news yesterday! There was also news about being fined for having unrestrained animals in your vehicle. In 2008 the driving regulations stated that you can't drive with an animal in your lap (I quite agree!), but the RTA has not updated its driver manual or website regulations with any mention of unrestrained animals this year. If the laws did change in July this year, does the RTA have responsibility for publishing this information to drivers? I wrote to the author of the SMH article to see if she could clarify. No response as yet.

Last night I was looking at the NSW DLG web page for dog attacks. I note that because they still include "rushing at a human or animal" as an attack, it's very hard to get a good handle on the statistics. The department's "annual" breakdown of reported attacks has not been released since 2005.

I don't believe dogs should be taken into children's public playgrounds. Two reasons being: 1) parents are usually not paying attention to kid(s) and dog(s) at same time; 2) some dogs get very protective of the family children.

Finally, the DLG puts the onus on creating good dog-owning citizenry firmly in the hands of individual local governments. For the most part local governments do nothing that isn't formally underlined by law. The NSW Minister for LG takes pride on being hardline on everything to do with animals except it seems, preventing them from being sold over the counter in pet stores.

Yes, no dogs should be allowed to interact with a...

2009-10-25T22:25:32.195+11:00

Yes, no dogs should be allowed to interact with a working dog without the handler's permission. I haven't seen the media reports you refer to though, would you please link to them?

Update. We are currently involved in training one ...

2009-10-25T21:51:39.680+11:00

Update. We are currently involved in training one dog, a dog that has been a 'regular' companion dog for its owner for a few years. We are working with the clinician and the local council in northern Sydney area. Surprisingly, this council seems to understand the requirements for assistance animals per the relevant acts and is being helpful. At the same time, we note media reports quoting organisations that spend $25,000 to train a dog for a vision disability complaining about other dogs interacting with 'their' dogs.

I am about to move to South Australia and into ren...

2009-10-25T20:42:50.717+11:00

I am about to move to South Australia and into rented accomodation for the first time for about ten years. I will be taking my two dogs and chooks with me and so will be testing my ability to get rental accomodation with my pets. I've had to move due to ill health so it wasn't planned! I'll keep you updated with progress

Hi Eedra, How is this going? Any progress?

2009-10-25T19:10:40.423+11:00

Hi Eedra,
How is this going? Any progress?

Good question. Trained just means suitable for pu...

2009-08-16T21:31:56.975+10:00

Good question. Trained just means suitable for public transport - able to deal with noise, crowds, confined space, etc.

We have many members who want access to public transport, but have dogs they wouldn't personally take on a bus due to their boisterous nature or other reasons.

Check previous posts and the members area (and our draft policy) for an overview of regulations in each state and territory.

In general, contained animals are ok - we like to point out that no one every makes a fuss about travelling with pet rats! And lots of folks travel with small dogs in handbags and the like.

We provide state-specific information to members - and knowing the regulations does not mean you won't be 'caught out'. I was arrested because the sydney bus offices (not the driver) didn't know their own statutory regulations!

I'm just interested in what you mean by "AND USE P...

2009-08-16T16:33:26.502+10:00

I'm just interested in what you mean by "AND USE PUBLIC TRANSPORT WITH YOUR TRAINED DOG!"

By "trained dog" do you mean Assistance Dog?

Not all states allow pets on public transport, I'm only aware of NSW that allows them on board. Are there any other state that allow pets on pubic transport?

It may help if you make a note of which states do and do not, so that people don't get caught out.

I don't see any "whinging" here except for those w...

2009-08-04T21:32:32.272+10:00

I don't see any "whinging" here except for those who aren't happy with the laws, and want it changed. They seem to be whinging at anyone who is happy with the laws and doesn't share their view.

There is a forum at http://candobetter.org/node/12...

2009-06-18T13:57:13.357+10:00

There is a forum at http://candobetter.org/node/1281?page=1 about barking dogs and some of the comments are inciting violence towards dogs, which greatly upsets me. I would appreciate people from Barking Mad to add some balance by making comments. They have to be authorised, so just post and later they will be.

SheilaN

Hi Eedra I think our Political Party should be cal...

2009-06-14T14:18:59.184+10:00

Hi Eedra I think our Political Party should be called - Responsible Pet Owners of Australia (RPOA)as this is more of which we are Promoting,representing.

Thank you Eedra for your support. We may one day n...

2009-05-28T19:18:09.600+10:00

Thank you Eedra for your support.
We may one day need to find a way to set up a advocacy and support group so we can help to resolve these issues.

There are already organisations that successfully ...

2009-05-28T15:46:26.319+10:00

There are already organisations that successfully provide mental health assistance dogs.

We have probably the most comprehensive disability...

2009-05-28T15:43:38.900+10:00

We have probably the most comprehensive disability discrimination law in any country and have it for over a decade.

It's the 'dog people' who have decided that people with invisible disabilities 'rout' the system, or that they (as a non-clinician) can determine if someone has a disability, as well as a few organisations that claim federal disability funding far in excess to the proportion of people with with the disabilities they represent that have made the matter of mental health assistance dogs troublesome.

The DDA amendment bill will clarify the importance of self-trained assistance dogs for people with invisible disabilities and clarify a silly legal thing about discrimination on the basis of a disability AND an assistance dog instead of discrimination because of assistance dog (the later being found NOT to be discrimination).

Aren't there new laws coming in where Assistance D...

2009-05-28T15:37:22.937+10:00

Aren't there new laws coming in where Assistance Dog organisations have to be accredited?

Mike, I'm not sure exactly which kind of disabilit...

2009-05-22T23:59:56.154+10:00

Mike, I'm not sure exactly which kind of disability you're referring to where an assistance dog would be deemed useful, yet the person can't get an accredited assistance dog.

Since this post is about mental health assistance dogs, I'll point out that no matter which state you're in within Australia, if you qualify for one of these dogs you can apply for one. I know people with these kinds of assistance dogs in four states, and there are probably others out there in the other states also.

If you care to mention which kind of disability isn't catered for and in which state, I'd be happy to look into it and help you if I can.

Actually my dog has been a bit of both, for reason...

2009-05-22T23:41:27.022+10:00

Actually my dog has been a bit of both, for reasons I'm not going to go into here.

One of my points here is that most assistance dogs in Australia have less access rights than companion dogs do overseas. Only certain types of assistance dogs may be accredited here - depending on which state you're in.

Mike we're not talking about companion dogs, we're...

2009-05-22T21:18:46.084+10:00

Mike we're not talking about companion dogs, we're talking about assistance dogs.

Disabled people with assistance dogs have the legal right to have the dogs with them in public places. With those rights come responsibilities.

It sounds like your dog is a companion dog, and nobody is saying it needs to be trained and tested to be in a public place if the law allows dogs to be there, or if a business chooses to let pets in their shop.

On the other hand, people with assistance dogs cannot be denied access to most places, so of course a certain level of training, testing and behaviour is expected.

"what about the public's right to know that an ass...

2009-05-22T17:54:31.114+10:00

"what about the public's right to know that an assistance dog is going to behave safely in public? "

Oh please. I've travelled through over 30 countries with my dog. We get on public transport, stay in hotels, visit museums. Certification required - none. Frankly the likelihood that humans are going to do something wrong is far greater.

Accredited dogs get increased access, but otherwise business owners can decide their own policy for companion animals.

Eedra are you setting up an assistance dog organis...

2009-05-22T17:17:44.493+10:00

Eedra are you setting up an assistance dog organisation for people with mental illnesses?

Just to clarify a little more about Guide Dogs for...

2009-05-22T17:12:30.302+10:00

Just to clarify a little more about Guide Dogs for the Mind prior to the launch:

We will bring together clinicians, dog trainers and a recent addition, breeders and of course a person with a mental illness.

The ultimate decision as to the suitability of a dog as a health care worker will be a patient/doctor decision.

The trainer (and dog) needs to meet the needs of that patient/doctor partnership.

Not all dogs may need to be public access trained or public transport trained if their use will not be in the public space. The registration of a properly trained assistance dog does not necessarily mean public access. If the dog is trained to assist someone that is housebound, such training may be irrelevant.

Those that will be in public need to meet accepted standards as well as fit in with community expectations as best as possible. However, we must recognise the latter proposition will often be impossible as there are people who strongly believe DOGS SHOULD NOT BE IN PUBLIC or in cities, etc.

The legalities are well established. The handler is responsible and liable for the dog. This may get a bit tricky in time if someone wants to blame a dog trainer should an incident occur but I don't want to go there yet. I've received several photos of guide dogs for the vision impaired crossing in front of their owner to go to another dog. They technically 'shouldn't' do that.

Mike, what about the public's right to know that a...

2009-05-22T16:48:47.826+10:00

Mike, what about the public's right to know that an assistance dog is going to behave safely in public? And a business' right to know the dog isn't going to have an accident inside their store or cause damage?

If it is going to be illegal for a business to deny to allow a disabled person to bring their assistance dog in with them, then surely the business owner has a right to know that appropriate training and testing has been undertaken. What you've written sounds like a bunch of excuses to me.

I also use an assistance dog, and I'm in Australia.

"In my view, testing and accreditation by a recogn...

2009-05-22T12:45:47.717+10:00

"In my view, testing and accreditation by a recognised assistance dog organisation is extremely important. It ensures the dog is public access ready and provides the public and businesses with assurance that the assistance dog is going to behave appropriately."

I think much of this is over-the-top for two reasons. In most of Europe (including the UK) you don't require any accreditation for public access to transport and other facilities.

Secondly, the stress of going through annual accreditation programs (as required in parts of Australia) simply adds more stress to the individual who may be having enough trouble with dealing with public environments and authorities.

Hi Anonymous, yes I'm in Australia. If you contact...

2009-05-20T12:28:51.825+10:00

Hi Anonymous, yes I'm in Australia. If you contact Assistance Dogs International they'll point you in the right direction.

In regards to the "I don't want my little dog play...

2009-05-20T12:14:26.299+10:00

In regards to the "I don't want my little dog playing where there are big dogs", I think it is a view we have to accept and respect. Barking Mad has heard it from our own members.

The answer is outside the square (or the dog park.) We need ENOUGH open space to accommodate our needs as dog owners. When we pack a lot of dogs into one dog park, or one dog beach, we limit the options for the owners.

Personally, I've seen the most aggression (doggie aggression, meaning I don't like you NOT I'm going to eat you), when one dog is on a lead and the other isn't.

In fact just last Sunday I was walking along the off-leash beach with Pema on a lead as I wanted to rest her leg because she is still recovering from surgery. A dog she had previously been playing with happily came over and tackled her and pinned her down. She was submissive and it was no drama. But some people came up to me later and said how awful that was and they 'hated' the type of dog that pinned Pema.

I told them it wasn't a drama - it was doggie communication. As soon as the other dog got bored with pinning Pema I let her off the lead and they had their sniffs, a short run and left each others' company.

The DRAMA was the lack of knowledge of what really was happening by people observed one interaction without knowing all the facts. THAT sort of thinking hurts all dog owners.

They are DOGS - and they cause a hell of a lot less harm than humans do to other humans and to the environment. And yes, some are untrained, poorly bred, mistreated or not socialised.

Flix,Do you call yourself a dog lover? It rather s...

2009-05-20T11:57:15.581+10:00

Flix,Do you call yourself a dog lover? It rather sounds like you are a lover of small dogs only. Any untrained and/or aggressive dog is a liability regardless of its size. Small dogs can be just as aggressive, threatening and nasty as their large counterparts. My German Shepherd plays nicely with many other small dogs, including my mum's Dachshund. I have always loved dogs and have owned quite a few different breeds .Personally I have found that the GSD is one of the most loyal and best companions that a human could have, but I also respect that everyone has a different idea of the perfect dog.Love dogs? Love them all!Edith