New poster and membership form

Download our brochure and membership form and let your friends know that we CAN create pet-friendly communities.

Not Happy, Dog

Well, here is Pema two days after surgery and after her first full day at home in recovery. I'm adjusting to being nurse. I had the privilege of spending time outside under the stars and as the full moon was rising over the ocean at 3am today, thanks to the toilet needs of dog. It was really quite pleasant and I'm sure 6 weeks of on-lead will perfect her toileting on command. There has to be a positive in all this somewhere?

Dog off Duty - Pema

THE CRUX, THE CRUCIATE AND THE CROSS.
Only last week I was finally able to articulate the crux of the work of Barking Mad. I refer to the precise argument that each and every matter dealing with access for pet owners can be distilled to, which is:

It's easier to make bold, unsupported, unrelated claims and follow those with policy decisions than it is to use a scientific method which delivers a logical and relative outcome.

I arrived at this crux while researching the pets on public transport briefing document that argues for a policy just like the one in London and continues our bible-bashing thread of 'regulate for societal benefit, not for intolerant people who complain'.

Today I learned that the origin of the word crux is from 1635-45 Latin meaning cross - as used in executions. At the same time, I learned that cruciate has the exact same origin.

And I learned the word cruciate today because Pema has been hopping around on three legs since having a jubilant play on the beach with a two other dogs on Friday morning. Ouch, she said...and stopped playing. Ouch, I said worrying simultaneously about her health and our finances. And we hobbled back to the car with me carrying her some of the way. Today our vet diagnosed that Pema has torn her cruciate ligament. The anti-inflammatory medication has made her much brighter as she hops around; and I have to choose what type of surgery she will be having (and find a way to pay for it). Pema is a working dog with a lot of jobs - looking after me, weekly visits to a medical ward in a public hospital, visits to a aged care hostel and a dementia unit, our mascot, the sook at Parliament House and more. Exactly one year ago, after being in the Mardi Gras parade, I got rid of the pram I used to put Pema in. (The point being you could take a dog anywhere if it was in a pram and not obvious!) It looks like we'll need a pram again for her 4-10 week post-op rehab, all going well. It's frightening, and the irony that she can get surgery this week and a public hospital patient may well have to wait months, is not lost on us.

So there you have it - the cross we bear.

Please make sure to contribute to our pets in advertising campaign.

Sponsor Wanted: Dogs in Advertising

It's really annoying to see how companies who can afford advertising use dogs to sell their product or service. It's annoying because these dogs are often in places where 'no dogs are allowed.' It's annoying because a false impression is created, such as a new housing development in Randwick Council showing an off-leash dog playing on the adjoining beach. Even the TV series Home and Away has dogs on the beach where us normal folks are told not to The last Federal election had an off-leash dog on the cover of the election guide, in 2008 and 2009 dogs have featured in Reg Mombassa's classic images created for Australia Day.

So, help us compile this list. We're going to target these organisations for sponsorship and to advertise honestly!

1. Tropical Pineapples No kidding, click to view the TV ad.
2. XXXX Beer - off leash dog on beach, near pub. View.
3. More Beer - view
4. And More Beer - dogs in the pub.
   
5. A VW CAR - view
6. Softdrink - view
7. Electricity Supply - view
8. A shipping company.
9. Paint. And another one from Hungary.
10. Toilet Paper.
    
11. Warringah Council web site - dog off leash walking on track in an area where rangers regulatrily issue fines.
12. Warringah council - had a dog on beach photo on the web until the day before Barking Mad's assembly at Curl Curl Beach.
13. Channel 7: Home & Away - dog on beach in Pittwater Council.
14. Still more Beer (USA)
15. Yes, more Beer, very funny.
    
16. Another Car
    
17. A vacuum! (USA)
18. Insurance (Queensland), also funny. Thanks for sending this one to us!
    

Stupid Dog Laws - yet another example

Transport with pets in Australia:

Dogs and other pets are allowed on metro trains in Melbourne, but not on buses.

Dogs are allowed on buses in NSW, but the majority of bus drivers don’t know their own regulations.

In Queensland, the Regulations permit a passenger to bring an animal on a bus with the driver’s permission. However Translink decided that only approved assistance animals are allowed.

Queensland claims that pets present a risk – but they haven’t done a risk analysis!

Although dogs are allowed on buses and ferries in NSW, they are not allowed on trains.

Yet they are allowed on trains if the dog provides ‘therapeutic benefit to its owner or another person’. Most dogs provide this.

RailCorp goes one better, requiring an annual pass for an Assistance Dog with medical proof of a disability (of the person), and proof of toileting on command (the dog, we hope.)

• RailCorp further outdo themselves by prohibiting an animal to drink water on the train OR at the station. Logically it follows, that dog is not allowed to wee on railway property either.
  

It gets better – dogs, actually animals, are not allowed onto railway land. A level crossing is railway land. Don't let your sheep or cattle cross the tracks. Even disused tracks like the Cooma-Bombala line are still railway land.

Sydney Monorail and Metro Light Rail allow dogs, cat, birds or other animals and they sign-post it.

Most private ferries and punts in NSW welcome pets, with operators stating they are usually better behaved then children.

Barking Mad has correspondence from the NSW Transport Minister and the Director General stating pets are permitted at the discretion of the driver/operator. This discretion is a rare display of common sense that considers the cleanliness and control of the animal. Similar considerations for letting people on board are taken all the time!

Manimalis

Sometimes it takes a while to find your friends or to find out who your friends really are. We've found quite a friend - called Manimalis!

Manimalis believes that all people have the right to be close to animals in any stage of life, as long as the animal is properly cared for and does not disturb those who do not wish to be close to animals.

They are a Scandinavian organisation working to increase awareness of companion animals' positive effects. "Manimalis strives to create a society that is planned and designed with the specific needs and desires of pet owners in mind". Sounds quite a bit like the work of Barking Mad to create safe and pet-friendly communities.

It was founded in 1989 (the year Barking Mad's proprietor (that's me) met the shores of Australia having crossed the Pacific by yacht to participate in the Sydney to Hobart yacht race). The name Manimalis, is an abbreviation of Man and Animal in Society.

Manimalis is sponsoring the People and Animals: For Life conference in Stockholm 2010. This is the 12th conference for IAHAIO. I.A.WHO? That's the International Association of Human-Animal Interaction Organizations. Barking Mad needs to be with I.A.Who....

The Good, the Dog and the Ugly

We have draconian dog laws. Dog on an empty beach at 7am with their responsible owner is fined more than parking in a pedestrian crossing in school zone! It does not make sense and such a fine does not take into account the REAL risk or public nuisance factor.

Barking Mad has been researching for our public transport briefing/policy document. Are pets a public health risk; and if so, how? What about allergies, and how important it is to consider this with pets on public transport and in public spaces? I prefer logic to rhetoric, though the latter (think talk-back radio, MirandaNotDevine, media that makes an emergency out of everything) gets much more airplay. Often that rhetoric turns into public policy, and that is good for no-one in the long term.


I've had this data to hand for some time, and with hesitation, I now put it out to you, the reader. A child is at a greater risk of harm from their parent than from a dog. More children die at the hand of their parent than by a dog each year; a tragic but politically repulsive fact.

Each year about 300 Australian children (aged 0-14 years) are killed and 60,000 hospitalised by unintentional injuries (accidents). 75% of these come from just four causes: car crashes, pedestrian accidents, drowning and house fires. (Children under 5 and the elderly are at the greatest risk from a dog related injury, so appropriate measures are still required).

If we followed the numbers about risk logically we would ban the car, ban walking where we have cars, ban swimming pools and access to the ocean and water if we want to keep our children immune from risk. Although we have fenced most of our rail tracks in urban areas, we have yet to fence around every other risk. Logic is not the main driver of legislation.

Death resulting from dog-related injury is a rare event. During the seven year period 1997–2003, 11 deaths were registered as being due to this cause.

Reports on the number of lives saved, such as a relatively common event of a dog alerting an owner to the presence of a venomous snake, or barking at an intruder would be useful for comparison, but this data is not available. The story of a dog protecting a child from an Eastern Brown Snake can be found here and a similar story of a dog and an adult here.

It is important to consider the public health risks of pets, dogs in particular, in context. The media has been the dog’s worse enemy, creating public outcry that some short-sighted politicians have responded to with poorly thought out laws. Consider:

Abuse, Crime

• 6 people are killed, by people, each week – a total of 319 in 2006
• 465 people are assaulted by people each day; that’s 171,000 in 2006
• 50 people are sexually assaulted every day; 18,211 a year.
• 331 people are violently robbed each and every week
• In 2006, there were 207,446 incidents of violent crime, over 550 each day.

Vehicles

• 1616 people died on our roads in 2007 including 41 cyclists and 201 pedestrians. That is more than 4 deaths for each day of a year.

Other

• There are 1000 heat-related deaths a year.
• 400 people die a year from Asthma and in W.A. the Premier claimed that 150 people die a year while waiting for a hospital bed!
• In the most recent data, 134 babies died a year from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

Manage the public health risks of pets in context. The media has been the dog’s worse enemy, creating public outcry that some short-sighted politicians have responded to with poorly thought out laws.

My dog, my pet, my property, my responsibility - paws off

We work for the rights of responsible pet owners to live a normal life.

We've had a lively conversation here about public access rights for pets on PUBLIC transport.

Let's look at renting with pets.

In Australia, there are commonly used tenancy agreements claiming to be prepared in accordance with tenancy law. From my research, I can't ever see this premise being tested.

In NSW, these agreements state that an animal or bird can not be kept at the premises UNLESS PERMISSION IS OBTAINED. (No such clause is in the legislation). Think about this. The law gives the tenant full right of access to the property as long as they pay rent, act legally and behave.

Dogs are chattel - full stop. In other words, they are no different than a handbag, briefcase or a pair of shoes. So why are renters are being told to ASK and OBTAIN PERMISSION to live with their dog or cat? Legally, it is the same as having to ask if we can have a pink handbag with matching pink shoes in the home we are renting.

What's chattel? Chattel is an item of personal property which is movable. It can be bought, owned, sold and stolen. The dog or cat is owned in law by its owner or politically correctly, its guardian. Because Barking Mad works with responsible pet owners, we will presume that we all legally own our pets meaning we register them as required by our local regulatory authority.

SO HOW CAN A RENTAL AGREEMENT REQUIRE YOU TO OBTAIN PERMISSION TO HAVE A DOG - OR, THE LEGAL EQUIVALENT, A PINK HANDBAG AT YOUR HOME?

I ask for your thoughts - and please consider the following:

• Residential tenancy laws hold the tenant liable for damages they cause - from pets, kids, parties, accidents or negligence.
• Dog laws hold the owner responsible for actions of a dog.
• Nuisance laws cover bad bahaviour, which may include a barking dog.
• Animal protection laws cover cruel pet behaviour, such as keeping too many animals or not providing adequate care. (Isn't is cruel to deny housing to a responsible pet owner?)
• Strata laws require a 'good reason' to deny keeping a pet. An example of a good reason would be a strata complex for people with asthma where someone wants to keep a cat.
• Rental laws do not have this 'good reason' logical clause.
  

Senate Inquiry into Public Transport - submissions closing soon

Greens launch Senate Inquiry - Have your say on Australia's Public Transport

Submissions are due by Friday 27 February 2009

Details - terms of reference and how to make submissions.

Barking Mad will be making a submission based on our draft policy. We've had quite a lively debate on this blog about pets on public transport and our proposed 'doggie license' that provides training for dog and handler so that when passed, allows a dog into more public spaces.

You can download our draft Senate submission and Georgie's transport story (Georgie in the bag in this photo) here.

The Greens want to increase the use of public transport; here are some of their media releases:
Government should not waste opportunity to create sustainable cities

Greens turn up the heat on transport

Greens: PM should boost public transport spending

Bushfire Pet Assist

If you would like to make a donation toward helping dog owners and their pets who have been affected by the bush fires, here are some suggestions:

Animal Aid - The Victorian Animal Aid Trust is providing free vet care and supplies for cats, dogs, horses, goats, etc. Make a financial donation at Bendigo Bank or supply badly needed hay or oaten chaff.

Fun4Paws - Offering homes for emergency care for dogs.
Accepting cash donations via bank deposit.

Lort Smith Animal Hospital - Pets caught in the cross fire.
Accepting donations of pet food, blankets and money to support their provision of free vet care and foster care.

RSPCA Victoria Please check their website for the latest updates and needs.
Make a financial contributions and donations of pet bedding, food and animal care-packs.

DOGS Victoria Bushfire Appeal
Support the appeal financially, offer pet accommodation and participate in the International Virtual Dog Show.

Our Families, Our Dogs

The media reported as follows: "Dave Twentyman plays with his dogs in the blackened landscape left by the bushfires at Steels Creek. Picture: Stuart McEvoy."

At a loss for words with the devistation of familes, homes, businesses, livestock and entire towns, I can only comment on the media's realistic reporting of the importance of the family pets in such a disaster.

Hot Dogs in the Adelaide Heatwave

As Sydney is stuck on 30C degrees, the Queensland coastal area is flooding, Melbourne had several 43 degree days until a cooling change last night and Adelaide has had more 40 degree days in a row since records were kept, I found this gorgeous picture of titled "Roxy is no longer a hot dog" at news.com.au.

All I want to say is GET DOGS ON BEACHES!!!! Most of us live in the 'coastal fringe'. We are told to SWIM BETWEEN THE FLAGS. We have thousands of kilometres of coastline and endless remote or empty beaches and we want our dogs AND our human family at the beach together. We're a beach culture - our dogs should be able to be at the beach with us and we'll compromise by keeping them on a lead or away from crowded or flagged areas!

I live 30 seconds' walk from a dog-friendly ocean beach. Sometimes it's just too scary, maybe dangerous for me to swim at my beach, so I walk a few minutes to one of two patrolled areas. But these areas are usually not in the dog beach area - but in a strong NE swell the flagged area is in the dog area - OH JOY!

Many dogs sit on my beach and wait while their owners surf. Other dogs play with visiting dogs while their owners swim. This beach has lots of holiday houses, so throughout January the beach and lagoon is full of kids, families, dogs, surfers and fishers. It's gorgeous and it all works. A few of us 'full-time' residents noticed that A LOT more 'tourists' brought their dogs this year. It seems that having dog-friendly beaches, and dog-friendly/family beach houses is the way to attract tourists and visitors. We even welcome dogs on the ferry from Palm Beach to the Cental coast.

It's been a gorgeous summer and a joy to meet all the visiting dogs from Sydney. I even saw two Labradors the other day that had never been in the ocean before. Sydney, and other coastal suburbs that try to ban dogs from beaches, are cruel. Cruel to Animals - isn't there a law against that?

Members Only

Barking Mad is for responsible pet owners. There are more than 6 million pet owners in Australia and about 3.5 million dog owners. More households have dogs than children, and the largest demographic of dog owners is homes with children 16 and under.

We started this lobby group in 2007 on the hope of achieving membership from the crème de la crop of pet owners, the pick of the bunch, the 5-10% of dog owners willing to annually fork out $40, less than the cost of a bag of good dog chow, to support a full-time lobbyist. This has not been achieved.

I am sorry to say that I can no longer work for the 'greater good', and I need to move to a 'members only' model. I'm dealing with health issues that have reduced my work capacity to 10%. If you feel so inclined, please join as a member. If you have skills to offer to keep our lobby group active, email. Thank you. Eedra

We need to find Stuart - do you know him? He is hiding. . .

Do responsible pet owners REALLY need a lobby group? Does any other Australian industry that contributes nearly $5 billion per year to the economy not work with government for fair policy? Is a $40 membership too much to ask? Or do we let Stuart make policy and influence public opinion. Gotta love Stuart; but will he IDENTIFY HIMSELF and help us create safe and pet-friendly communities that incorporate his need (or need to whinge)? That's our challenge to him - come forward citizen!

We well know Stuart will find it very easy to complain and very hard to make change. HELP US FIND STUART! (And PS Stuart, humans are animals too.)

Stuart has left a new comment on your post "What is acceptable behaviour?":
Dogs ARE NOT part of the PUBLIC - they are animals and have no right to be on public transport of any kind. I will not share a train carriage or bus with a dog - they smell, they defecate and pee whenever and wherever they want, they can be vicious.

This campaign of yours comes from a position that assumes dogs are equal to humans - they are not - they are animals and there are far too many of them. Far too many owners are:

• irresponsible
• do not pick up their dogs poo
• do not obey regulations pertaining to keeping their dog on leads, which has personally caused me injury after hitting a dog not on a lead while cycling.
  

My local park is covered in dog poo but I get abused by owners if I dare to suggest they pick up their dogs poo or put it back on a lead. Dogs are not people - get a grip you lot and keep your dog on a short lead, off public transport, out of restaurants and cafes and pick up its poo.

Come on out Stuart. What is your local park and who are you? And will you work with us or are you simply a (simple) whiner? Don't ducks and other birds, possums, rats, koalas, kangaroos, cows, pigs, sheep and human babies poo/wee whenever or wherever they want or have I missed Stuart's training of these animals?

No chocolate or macadamia nuts

DOG NIGHT at the movies - in Australia, not Austria like our previous report of movie night for dogs.

If you would like to attend and meet up with other Barking Mad members, just email me. I'll send your details to other members in your city who have sent me their details.

DIGGING DEEPER:
You can ALWAYS bring your well-behaved dog to Moonlight Cinema, at least in Sydney; that's right, every screening, not just dog night. (Just like you can take "any" properly behaved dog to visit hospital or aged care patients (NSW) without involving payment to a charity, or for you to travel for 'special' training, or subject your dog to excessive testing....but I digress...again.)

Centennial Parklands Home - Sydney Moonlight Cinema

Moonlight Cinema - City Specific Site (change city at bottom right of page)

Just A Dog, Just a New Year, Just Celebrate

"From time to time, people tell me, lighten up, it's just a dog, or, that's a lot of money for just a dog. They don't understand the distance travelled, the time spent, or the costs involved for just a dog.

Some of my proudest moments have come about with just a dog. Many hours have passed and my only company was just a dog, but I did not once feel slighted.

Some of my saddest moments have been brought about by just a dog, and in those days of darkness, the gentle touch of just a dog gave me comfort and reason to overcome the day.

If you, too, think it's just a dog, then you will probably understand phases like just a friend, just a sunrise, or just a promise. Just a dog brings into my life the very essence of friendship, trust, and pure unbridled joy. Just a dog brings out the compassion and patience that make me a better person.

Because of just a dog, I will rise early, take long walks and look longingly to the future. So for me and folks like me, it's not just a dog but an embodiment of all the hopes and dreams of the future, the fond memories of the past, and the pure joy of the moment.

Just a dog brings out what's good in me and diverts my thoughts away from myself and the worries of the day. I hope that someday they can understand that it's not just a dog but the thing that gives me humanity and keeps me from being "just a human."

So the next time you hear the phrase just a dog. Just smile, because they just don't understand. By Richard Biby

Training and busing with our dogs - Column 8 continued

Column 8 Today - Sydney Morning Herald
"Fixing RailCorp's grammar (December 23) might be of academic interest," comments Richard Ure, of Epping, "but the point raised by Eedra Zey from Woy Woy in Friday's Column 8 is more fundamental.

• If a dog is not allowed on a level crossing, how about a horse?
  
• Or a mob of sheep crossing a line in the bush?
  
• Or a dog in a ute?
  
• For city folk, how about a dog, or any animal, caged or otherwise, crossing railway station concourses at places like Epping, Eastwood, Chatswood, Meadowbank and many similar urban crossings?
  

RailCorp owes us guidance. Or does it just want the fine?" We, too, cry out for guidance from RailCorp, in these troubled, uncertain times.

Dec 23
About the 'No pets not allowed' State Rail business of Friday," writes Teena Hughes, of Rozelle: "I was thinking that perhaps a shiny new comma or full stop could make this poster make sense. As in, 'No, pets not allowed', or, 'No pets. Not allowed'. I suggest everyone who travels near these signs can fix them immediately by adding either one - we'll leave it up to the public, shall we? Take a black marker pen with you, just in case.

Column8 Dog Train - Sydney Morning Herald

Friday 19 Dec:

"State Rail have these large glossy posters at most stations stating the rules," reports John Blackhawk, of Umina Beach. "One rule states 'No pets not allowed'. I emailed, asking if we'd all been breaking the law by not travelling with our dogs, cats, axolotls etc. They asked for clarification - was it me who was travelling with a pet, or had I seen others doing so? I pointed out it was a humorous attempt at pointing out their double negative, and I looked forward to taking my groodle to work on the train. The posters remain unchanged. But I believe it is legal to travel on trains, buses and ferries if your pet is 'under control' anyway. It is, isn't it?" We're not sure. Guide dogs have always been OK, but as for groodles …

Today 22 Dec:
"I got fined for being on 'railway property' with my dog," writes Eedra Zey (Column 8, Friday). "I have in writing from RailCorp that a level crossing is railway property. Therefore, I cannot cross from home to the shops at Woy Woy with my dog without committing an offence."

Barking Mad comments: We look to Column 8 (Column8?) to show us the rules of punctuation,"(_).**

The Silly Season Woofs and Wags

Thanks to a member (and Dulux Paint) for these light-hearted doggie Christmas Carols. Click here to sing three well-known carols along with the dogs. Make sure your speakers are on and your doggie is around to join in too. My dog woke from her post-beach slumber briefly, and my old cat is close to deaf so I had to sing solo; it's wasn't good so lucky for you there is no sound on this BLOG.

And thanks again to member SB (above). I didn't know how I was going to get beyond the last post. I had backed myself into a corner hard to get out of and not dissimilar to the corner the Opera House is now in from their choice to wave 150 pages of 'we are so good' and ignore eye-witness statements and video showing 'we may be so good usually, but we sure failed on this occasion,' but I digress.....again...it is MY blog....

We have found out that the mother actually called the police for help before the police killed her child. I, like many of you reaading this, am still disturbed by all this. For me, I can be sure this is at least partly due to my own experience with police thugs earlier this year. (And just to re-iterate, I was travelling legally with my dog as per the 2007 Transport Regulations).

So when is having Glandular Fever a fabulous Christmas Present? (Yes, I have it.) It's a fabulous gift for me because I've been dealing with debilitating medical conditions that do not have direct causal relationships; I have had symptoms exasperated 6 months into treatment and no one knew exactly why; and because it's a diagnosis based on a blood test that is fully accepted by the medicos. Yeah for me - certainty. I like certainty. Now I can rest, enjoy summer, albeit slowly and know that functioning at 10-40% is actually OK because it's temporary.

The benefit to you as a Barking Mad member is that I will be working throughout the Christmas break. So if you and Fido get into strife on a beach or a bus with those revenue protection people, remember that members can call me 24 x 7 for information or advise. In addition, the Barking Mad beach house still has a few vacancies during the silly season. 90 minutes north of Sydney on a dog friendly beach; members welcome by donation.

gang of police kill solo youth of same race and we're not protesting like Athens is?

Updated post after a few phone calls and inquiries. I'M (any expletive here) OUTRAGED! Shooting a gun 'to maim' works ONLY IN THE MOVIES but it doesn't work in real life. Am I really reading this quote from the Victorian Police Assistance Commissioner? Yes, I am.

The Commissioner continues 'we want our police to be trained to 'shoot-to-kill.'

I am so upset by what seems to be a murder of a juvenile by THREE Victorian police in Melbourne. Howard's lie about children overboard got more press than this.
“Why was he slayed to death when it was so unnecessary?”

The entire incident took less than three minutes to unfold, but police had done everything possible to avoid his death, he said.

THREE SHORT MINUTES FOR THREE (now I hear there were FOUR) THUGS IN UNIFORM TO DECIDE THEIR BEST OPTION WAS TO OPEN FIRE ON A TEEN-AGE MALE AT LEAST 10 METRES AWAY; A MALE YOUTH WHO HAD A COUPLE OF KNIVES? (Gordon Ramsey - you're next?)

Postscript March09 - Story on 60 Minutes