Blog

8 Responses to “Fixing Victoria’s Companion Animal Laws”

1. savingpets says:

   October 21, 2010 at 4:37 pm

   We get what we’re willing to support. The public are no longer taking at face value the idea that underperforming animal organisations are simply garbage collectors, doing the public’s dirty work in disposing of pets. And as you’ve pointed out, it’s never been easier to compare one group’s or Council’s performance to the next.

   So what is an underperforming organisation to do? Lobby for laws which mandate the killing of pets. Mandatory desexing laws which drive the pets of disadvantaged owners into already crowded shelters; breed specific laws which give Councils a free pass to kill anything ‘bully'; and programs which encourage the community to target free-roaming cats for impoundment. All of which determine that shelters will always be full, the situation desperate and the kill rates high… because big pound contracts get paid more than small ones.

   Groups often claim to be working “to put themselves out of business” – unfortunately in Victoria this is a misnomer. Those groups who keep their statistics under close guard from the public don’t want less pets in pounds or they would be doing everything they could to keep animals out of pounds! Instead they want a monopoly, to maintain the right to decide on arbitrary criteria that a pet ‘must’ be killed, to be able to kill without accountability and for the next decade to look exactly like the last.

   We will not stand for it.

2. Mike Bailey says:

   October 22, 2010 at 12:07 am

   Just seven hours after posting this to Facebook it’s been read and ‘Liked’ by over 130 people!

   This clearly demonstrates the power we have to spread our ideas. We don’t need to defer to the high priests and pen pushers of our animal welfare system who don’t know (or don’t care) what’s best for our cats and dogs.

   It’s time to put our democracy to work! Is it too soon to be thinking about a town hall meeting?

3. Heading for Home says:

   October 22, 2010 at 10:35 am

   The thing our legislators need to recognise is that doing it better and saving lives isn’t some “pie in the sky” dream of a few mad old cat ladies and crazed animal rights activists, it’s happening already.

   Look at what the AWL in Queensland have managed to achieve: http://www.abc.net.au/local/stories/2010/10/04/3028861.htm

   And not only are they doing it for themselves, their “Getting to Zero” program is reaching out to other pounds and shelters and offering to help them achieve the same result.

   I hope that rising community awareness of alternative solutions will force legislators to rethink their approach. However, there is also a resourcing issue … reducing the killing will take time, new skills, different approaches and changed legislation and those things require resources. So the community will need to be willing for governments to spend money on doing it better.

   In the longer term “getting to zero” is probably a net cost benefit; in the short term it will require allocation of cash.

4. Sam says:

   October 22, 2010 at 12:38 pm

   Victoria’s companion animal laws are a joke. So many innocent animals are needlessly euthanised in this state (country & around the globe) and the laws currently strive to amplify this trend. We need change – the animals can’t fight for their rights, so we have to do it for them. We are so lucky to have shelters in this state like Pets Haven and advocate groups like Animal Lib who brought about Oscar’s Law and general awareness of puppy farms. The recent gathering at the Puppy Farm Awareness Rally was but a smidgen of the people who are concerned about these issues. Individually we are outnumbered and may be overwhelmed, but together, we can achieve anything. We can’t give up – the dogs suffering in puppy farms around the country don’t get a reprieve from their atrocious circumstances and the government should not get a reprieve from us!

5. Alan Doyle says:

   October 24, 2010 at 10:14 pm

   As usual the Australian government is doing as it pleases, to its obedient population. Help throw a spanner in the works.

6. Jim Davies says:

   October 27, 2010 at 10:04 pm

   http://www.google.com.au/#q=who+can+enter+your+property+without+your+permission%3F&hl=en&prmd=ivfd&source=lnt&tbs=ctr:countryAU&cr=countryAU&sa=X&ei=nRLITKzOBIW6ccPmwagO&ved=0CAcQpwU&fp=1a51418a691181d9

   Under Common Law, which supercedes all other forms of law in Australia, NOBODY can enter your premises unless you give either implied or explicit permission.

7. Mike Bailey says:

   October 27, 2010 at 10:18 pm

   Jim, a council ranger told me they’re allowed to cut the lock on your side gate to search your backyard without permission or a warrant.

   Is this illegal? I have read about several cases where rangers have entered people’s back yards and taken their dogs. http://bit.ly/9Z5ND6

8. Jim Davies says:

   October 28, 2010 at 11:29 pm

   That’s absolutely illegal under common law. Councils run everything on BLUFF. They have NO actual rights in law unless you afford them the authority.