Poster Puppy

Isn't our poster puppy on the home page gorgeous? You can have yours as the next poster pet, just send us a good quality photo.

Peaceful co-existence with moments of tolerable but utterly frustrating annoyance. It's not my quote, but it sums up what Barking Mad is trying to achieve. Can we achieve peaceful co-existence in our community with the wide variety of people and vast range of preferences people have? Leaf blowers, loud parties, graffiti - different activites both legal and not, driving us crazy - but only AT TIMES.

I always considered myself a cat person (providing they were kept in at night). But no more - dog crazy I now am, even those little snappy yappy ones. How did this happen? That dogs are preferable company to the human male is one theory, but we won't go there. I happened upon a rescue border collie 2 years ago when she was 18 months old. Two things resulted from having a canine housemate for the first time. One, I found out how limited my recreational and transport options were in Sydney if I wanted to have my dog with me. And two, I found myself interested in lots of other dogs breeds, and curious about why the people who now talked to me on my walks (JUST BECAUSE I HAD DOG) choose that particular breed. How do we love our pets? 'Let me count the ways'. The stories people share about how they came to love their particular dog, be one that farts, chews, snores, drools or slobbers, or one that is so old it is no longer house trained – or one that has cost them $3000 from injuries; the commonality is caring and compassion.

Mile High Dogs

Photo: Travelling with pet dog at Venice Airport.

But not everyone likes dogs, and we can't expect them too. Some like obedient, quiet dogs. Some don't mind the yappy ones. Some people think they shouldn't be kept as pets.
Lots of Barking Mad members tell me they don't understand HOW people can not love animals. I'm told almost daily about the direct correlation between cruel treatment of animals and cruel treatment of humans.

I think it is our obligation as responsible pet owners to accept and understand some peoples dislike of man's best friend. As we understand more of our rights, and as we do expand our access to more beaches, parks, transport and accommodation, no doubt the opposing view will be aired as well.

On the subject of RIGHTS. We have so many more then we are led to believe! We have new information from NSW Lands about Council's legal right to fine us (or not) on the beach below the High Water Mark. We have an interesting clause in the discrimination act referring to a 'trainned' animal. We have the railway dog (and goat) carriage rules. We have Manly Council actively allowing dogs within 10 metres of a playground even though this is 'an offense'.

There is simply no reason to put up with draconian restrictions about where you can take your pooch any more. Change is never easy and we are working on it several ways:

• changing legislation (hopefully in the next session of NSW Parliament)
• challenging restrictions in court or with whatever authority put this in place
• debunking myths about 'hygiene, health, food' etc.

Most importantly, by being responsible with our dog when we are out in the community. Sure, some people may say I'm not be responsible to society when I travel on the bus with Pema - because I'm doing something that many people think I "am not allowed" to do. Well - they are wrong, I am allowed, but I don't have to change their view. I make sure I have a clean and quiet pooch that doesn't take up a seat, bark, slobber or wee. If someone takes the seat next to us and doesn't want to be by the dog - I'm the one who offers to move away.

Summing up - assert your rights, respecting those people that may not respect you for doing so.

The Bus

THEY TRIED TO STOP US FROM TAKING THE BUS. How rude! The bus driver was so confused when I told him Pema was a registered companion dog - he then said it was ok, but he wasn't happy. Scroll down on the public transport campaign section for the story. We were going to see our barrister, how funny. Yes, we got on the bus, of course, after a vote from the passengers FOR the dog.

Get your COMPANION ANIMAL ID TAG from Barking Mad for just $35. Email us a photo of you and your dog, 300k max size. Post or scan your pooch registration. If you want your insurance details on the tag, scan or post your home contents policy. Send me details.

Apec dog because sniffing is allowed

We're off to the CBD with a freshly washed pooch to visit two of our barristers. Should be interesting with the APEC stuff, but we also need to trial Sydney buses more. One member was denied access to two northern beaches buses with her small pooch; both buses were nearly empty. She couldn't remember the protocol to tell the driver - the code number and to call the depot on the radio, so she didn't get her lift to Manly Dogs Day Out. Very sad. So, we're going on a few buses again.

The Pittwater and Warringah campaigns are launched - do check the Act Now section, write your letters and you can send money, too. We're waiting on the judgment where the magistrate was less than complimentary about Pittwater council dog laws.
And, we're on Pet talk TV and radio, so check out what we have to say.....and, what Manly Council (one of our favourites) said!

Companion Animal ID Tag

Get your COMPANION ANIMAL ID TAG from Barking Mad for just $35. Email us a photo of you and your dog, 300k max size. Post or scan your pooch registration. If you want your insurance details on the tag, scan or post your home contents policy. Send me details.

Two beautiful, sunny warm days and a spectacular lunar eclipse have passed. Throughout Monday of this week, I listened in amazement while (independently) four pet owners from three states came to Barking Mad with upsetting stories of discrimination. I struggle to come to grips with the distress these situations cause people AND the fact that they are not alone. So many people trying to live a normal life in our 'fair-go' society get, well, crapped upon, just because they have a pet; and I'm talking about 'responsible' pet owners who accept that pooch or puss needs to fit into society.

The stories:

• Several Queensland local government areas limiting a family to one dog unless they can afford a house on land over 600m2 - by law! (but you can have 5 racing greyhounds).


• Renters in Albury NSW not being able to find a home because they have a dog.


• A member in Victoria who has lived in a strata complex for ten years with her dog and who is just now being told it can't be outside.


• And, locally in Sydney, a member being refused access to a bus on the Northern Beaches twice in one day.

Perhaps it sounds like four incidents to you, but Barking Mad is involved in so many matters concerning housing, it's a shock. We need more help to handle things - email or call if you can volunteer your time or money. Please listen to our Pet Talk Radio interview - and you can even watch the video - but it's not very exciting!

LENIN BAR CIrcULAR QUAY PHOTO: We are busy writing ammendments to legislation for the next session of Parliament in NSW (hopefully).
My 15 year old cat exhibits a zest for life and a quest for death alternatively at least 10 times a day. I'm sure there is a story about compassion and responsiblity there, but now he takes a lot of my emotional energy. Pets are really about caring; we are caring people. It's not nice when we're made out to be criminals because we have (legal) companion animals.

And Pema had a great time at Circular Quay after our last court date making a lot of people happy and creating a warm, social atmosphere in a tourist venue. And how funny to meet a scottish couple with a busines back home called Barking Mad!

One dog per family in Queensland

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING !!! I have heard the most amazing stories of discrimination today with transport and housing. This Gold Coast (insert expletive here) is true - have a look at http://www.goldcoast.qld.gov.au/t_standard.aspx?PID=22 Gold Coast City Council. Dogs are pack animals. Dogs are in Australia's heritage. Dogs are surf-lifesavers, police assistants and damn good company. It is as nonsensical to try to impose a one dog limit as it is to impose a one child limit in Australia. We must get Costello to call for one dog for the mother, one for the father and one for the country. Or more accurately:one rescued from an owner that couldn't get the dog to the vet because the bus wouldn't let him on with pooch, another rescued from Nanna because she was harassed about having a dog in the strata unit she downsized to after the death of Papa, and the third taken off of a back-yard breeder after the selling of live animals at pet shops was stopped!
The transport story is posted in the Act Now section of the web. Click here to read about puppy with broken leg having to walk 3km after being refused entry on a bus with his caring owners.

A great day at Manly Dog's Day Out - but at least two council people did not like that were were there, and that we were supported by the awesome dog and cat store, PetO. They harassed PetO for having the Barking Mad folks and brand - telling them they couldn't after they had paid for their stall! Council said only ONE brand could be represented.
PetO is a retailler - they (unlike Woolies) don't have their own brand yet. They sell many brands, including Barking Mad. What a show of fear by Manly Council. Most other stall holders were selling multiple brands, including Seaforth Vet (our neighbours) who were selling products and services, just like Barking Mad and PetO. We are waiting for an offical statement from Manly Council before we issue a press release. We have had a good relationship with Manly Council are we are supportive of the work they do to incorporate companion animals into their community. We would like to keep this positive relationship.

United we Stand, Divided we Fall

Have you clicked on the campaign section of the web that has just been added? Don't miss the deadline to express your views to Pittwater Council about Makerel Beach. This campaign has some very big legal issues that could work strongly in our favour - to end the discrimination of responsible pet owners.
I can't believe we have so much happening in so many different places - and not all the campaigns are uploaded yet. Where is that web content editor we need so badly? (work for us while not increasing your taxable income!).
United we stand, divided we fall. This is my mantra as I think about all the people, all over Australia, who have to fight to have ONE dog exercise area, or ONE place to swim their dog. Although this is a phrase that is hundreds of years old, and was used successfully by Ghandi to obtain the independence of India, it is as relevant today to Barking Mad as it was to those before us.
NIMBY: not in my back yard - so many people work so hard and achieve success in their little area for ONE dog beach, or ONE dog park. WE NEED TO UNITE so that we avoid these one-off, one-small-area, one-dog-beach-please fights. The laws restricting responsible pet owners from parks, beaches, transport and accomodation have NOT been challenged. That means they are fair game. They are not tested, they are not robust.
Please - if you are running a local campaign, come to the Barking Mad pack. Your local council does not MAKE laws. They are the meat in the sandwich. The states makes laws and we currently have excellent support in the NSW Parliament. We hope to have our cause debated within the next two months.

Please - if you are running a local campaign, come to the Barking Mad pack. Your local council does not MAKE laws. They are the meat in the sandwich. The states makes laws and we currently have excellent support in the NSW Parliament. We hope to have our cause debated within the next two months.

City CBD Dog

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.

Roads, Rates & Rubbish

Back in Australia where I think local councils should go back to their mantra of rates, roads and rubbish and leave us responsible dog owners to ourselves. Do they have 'small-government-syndrome' or what?

I attended our local board riding competition this morning – yes, at the beach, WITH the dog. 40 kids, 30 adults, food cooking away on the BBQ, 2 marquees and 15 dogs, most off-lead. WHAT THE? Food and dogs and beaches, surfers and kids – all mixing. All with a permit issued by a sensible central coast council.

To Sydney councils – wake up and service your ratepayers. More homes have dogs than kids; you have a legal duty to provide us with equitable services and you can’t just say ‘no dogs’ on the beach. You can't tell mothers not to take their toddler AND their dog to the playground. You can’t just wipe out the amenities of half of the population in one sweep. We will not tolerate this discrimination. We will work with you if you wish, otherwise, we will mount a legal challenge that will cost your ratepayers dearly. Get sensible – go after things that have a real risk factor. (rave over – off to play café-dog games in the Manly Council turf).

Eating Dog

In the land where they eat dogs - Viet nam - a surprising number of families keep a pet dog. Most of these dogs are kept well, and funny how they hang around the dining table and the kids - and the beach - and the tourists and no one makes a fuss. I haven't heard one bark yet - so different from the constant barking of dogs in Nepal. They are quiet, passive and friendly dogs - none of them jump on you. Maybe it is just too hot! We're investigating if some of these may be sold - when the dog catcher comes around. Not really the dog catcher as we know it, but a talent scout - for DINNER. Most dogs that are eaten are farmed, with similar disregard to their suffering as we have for many of the animals we eat in Oz. {think 8 week old roaster chicken who lived it's life in a space no bigger than it's body}. We've heard there is a dog catcher who will pay when they take dogs; likely from poorer families, but we haven't confirmed this yet.

THANK YOU to all new members - please keep signing up and remember that your 'paid up membership counts for at least 100 votes when lobbying government. It is a much stronger tool than a petition.
Just found a cool article on us at Dogs Australia http://dogsaustralia.wordpress.com/2007/06/30/barking-mad/

Gone Sailing

Most of Barking Mad is having a break to warmer shores and will return by 10th August. We'll be in limited contact. Please be patient with your inquires and we'll be back soon.

"We are made to persist. That's how we find out who we are" ~Tobias Wolf

21 July - OK and SORRY. I haven't yet written up the review of the brilliant Animal Law Conference yet - but we finally got the membership kits mailed! Thoughts from the conference are still prominent in my head. I've been thinking about how Australians love and adore our companion animals, yet allow the massive suffering of the animals we eat and export. I think of the pigs nursing piglets in sow stalls in which they can not move, or the chickens we eat having lived their whole life in a cage on a space of an A4 sheet of paper, never seeing daylight, never flapping their wings, and killed to be grilled by 12 weeks of age.

Barking Mad will continue to be a single-issue-party on the issue of ACCESS for the majority of Australians who are responsible pet owners; however, we are continually made aware of many other issues involving animals. More to come...just not sure when.

A big weekend working on memberships and the web. The patience and dedication of those who act on their beliefs is inspirational. Thanks to all who offer to help, I'm working on getting everyone involved and organised. For those in Sydney, I hope you can attend a meeting Tuesday afternoon (the 24th) - we may have phone links for those out-of-state. Be sure to send in your comments for the members section of the web, including any classified adds you may have. We had a great trip on the bus yesterday; it certainly will make life easier for those who don't have a car or choose public transport.

The good news is that we have a (NSW) state member willing to table our policies and issues. We have additional legal representatives to support our challenges to the existing laws. We have new information to help renters. We have people ready to take Barking Mad forward in South Australia and Queensland. CAPACITY PLANNING - I was asked once how I was preparing for it and the answer was, as the fact is, deal with it when it comes. It has arrived - HELP!

Capacity Planning - or HELP!

A big weekend working on memberships and the web. The patience and dedication of those who act on their beliefs is inspirational. Thanks to all who offer to help, I'm working on getting everyone involved and organised. For those in Sydney, I hope you can attend a meeting Tuesday afternoon (the 24th) - we may have phone links for those out-of-state. Be sure to send in your comments for the members section of the web, including any classified adds you may have. We had a great trip on the bus yesterday; it certainly will make life easier for those who don't have a car or choose public transport.

The good news is that we have a (NSW) state member willing to table our policies and issues. We have additional legal representatives to support our challenges to the existing laws. We have new information to help renters. We have people ready to take Barking Mad forward in South Australia and Queensland. CAPACITY PLANNING - I was asked once how I was preparing for it and the answer was, as the fact is, deal with it when it comes. It has arrived - HELP!

We have tele-communications again! Broadband has returned to Barking Mad. New members - your memberships are now being processed and you will receive your membership kits early next week. The member's area of the site is being revised. Send in your member notices for events or other classified adds.

Laws - really?

brought my lovely companion dog Pema with me into a local shopping centre today to test the NSW law that this is 'not prohibited' (i.e. 'legal') if I'm on the way to a pet shop, vet or similar establishment. What an amazing response we had. As I sat on a bench with Pema lying at my feet, people wanted to pet and chat to her, but between this socialising, one shop attendant told me he would be fined if the dog was there. I tried to enlighten him on legal-ease, but he was not to be enlightened. Pointing to the 'no dogs' sign on the door, he raved. Security was called. They were willing to be enlightened a bit. I invited them to call the police. Shortly later, a cop walked by, glanced over and went on his way. Pema was bored and fast asleep by this time. The 'no dog' sign appears to be a blatant violation of law. If it was REALLY about DOGS, then assistance and guide dogs would be prohibited too! Let me just say it was a quiet time at the shopping centre. Pema was on a short lead, our presence would have caused no impact had shopkeeper not gone off his face. Even then, our impact was minimal. The outcome is: the owner of the shop we were going to now understands the law (as written) and will have a chat to the off-his-face cafe person - and next time we will have an assistance dog with us AND the media.

Because I have a dog, I have a community.

Pema and I have been welcomed with open-arms to our new, small beachside community on the Central Coast of NSW. Having moved numerous times in my 40+ years, I have never had so many welcoming chats and invitations within the first week of arriving somewhere - and I've never had a dog when I've moved before.

At the beach this morning, rugged up with hat and scarf, the sunrise was welcomed by the human walkers, but probably unnoticed by the 10-12 dogs who were blissed-out on their morning jaunt. Since Pema is the new girl in town, I keep her on a lead while she gets to know the residents. Once the butt to nose dance is completed, she is free to romp with the other mutts. Meanwhile, those dog owners tell me about the community, about how dog-friendly they are, about the lake and the lagoon (and the flooding), about the best cafe, the Saturday routine of walk than coffee, and they introduce me by name to other dog owners.

We are indeed a social bunch. Many Sydney folks tell me they know other folks by their dog's names, but often don't know the 'owners' name. Thank you to everyone who is working with Barking Mad to make our place as pet owners in the wider society more welcoming. A brisk beachside walk in 9 degrees with playfull pooches (combined with Warrigah Council's 'dogs and beaches don't mix mantra) is all I need each day to keep lobbying and mounting legal challenges for a fair-share of public space.