Update: over at consultations.org.nz you can read the draft policy as a single page or a series of pages and leave comments. Please use that site to hold discussions by comments with other Wellington dog owners. Comments are also welcome here on this article.
If you’re one of Wellington’s approximately 5,500 dog-owning households you really should closely read and then respond to the new Draft Dog Policy. 1
The deadline for submissons is: 5.00pm Friday 7 August 2009 . (Or 4pm, if you read the brochure available online.)
They still hate us
The Council still hate dogs, though they’re hiding it a bit more now.
Many dog owners in Wellington that I’ve spoken to feel the Council hates them. Try Page 7 of the Draft Policy:
92% of Wellington households are not dog owners. When considering the exercise and recreation needs of dogs and their owners, it is important to ensure that the general public are not intimidated by uncontrolled dogs and that conflict of use is avoided or mitigated.
It sums it up the approach of the Draft Policy nicely: dogs are dangerous, vile things to be excluded if possible. 92% are not
— they could have said 8% are
…
It’s galling to read the Council’s Vision:
Wellington is a vibrant city with a thriving cultural life … the city has an abundance of recreation and leisure opportunities. …Wellington City Council wants to … help achieve economic growth, greater prosperity and an improved quality of life for all Wellingtonians.
What’s missing there is the implied final except for dogs and their owners.
OK, let’s try to be fair. Someone on the Council has obviously worked extremely hard to get this grudging note added (also on Page 7):
The Council has a responsibility to safeguard community safety and health by controlling the activities of dogs. The Council also recognises the health, safety, well-being and companionship benefits of dog ownership.
We see though that still the main emphasis is on dog control; the benefits of ownership are secondary.
Future articles on specific topics
If this one article were to discuss the entire Draft policy it would be a week long. I simply want to introduce the topic here and point out the underlying negative philosophy.
We have around 4 weeks to make comment, and there’s a lot to discuss. If there’s a particular topic you’d like raised leave a comment on this post and I can create a new Post on that topic.
Just a parting word: I was discussing the Draft Policy with a couple of dog owners I met at the beach. Their first remark was how much it must have cost to produce the glossy book that was sent to all Wellington registered dog owners. That money could have been better spent on providing services such as rubbish bins at off-leash areas …
1 The Draft Policy
The Council’s current Dog Control Policy was adopted in 2004. It is largely concerned with community safety and health as well as dog welfare and registration. The policy also sets restrictions on dog access to public places.
Submissions
To give the Council your submissions on the draft Dog Policy, read the brochure below and complete the submission form. The brochure includes the Summary of the Statement of Proposal as well as the full Statement of Proposal.
The deadline for submissons is: 5.00pm Friday 7 August 2009 .
Alternatively, the brochure and form are available:
- at the Council reception desk at 101 Wakefield Street
- from Council Service Centres and libraries
- by post – contact the Council for your copy.
[Via : Public Input - Draft Dog Policy - Wellington - New Zealand.]
The announcement above has been abbreviated.
Note: thanks to spammers, comments are closed until around mid-January 2010.
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Miraz,
I have signed up to make an ‘oral submission’ (a phrase that amuses me to no end) in September. My emphasis will be on two things:
1) The city centre should be open to dogs. Wellington needs to decide whether it wants to be San Francisco or Houston. Right now, the Houston-ization of Welly is winning.
2) Dogs should be allowed on transit. This once was the case throughout Wellington, now the plaque dedicated to Paddy the Wanderer is our only reminder of this time.
My premise will be that the great cities of the world are pedestrian-friendly, and the world’s greatest pedestrians are dogs. If a city is dog-averse, it is losing the pathway to greatness.
I encourage many, many, many others to sign up to speak to the council. If I speak alone, the Forces of Evil will wave dismissively and go about the business of building flyovers for cars, but if dozens of well-reasoned Wellingtonians speak before the council, they can not be so easily ignored.
Thanks for operating this site.
Sincerely,
Doug Wilkins
Many thanks Doug.
Could you please explain a bit more about Houston’ and ‘San Francisco’? I’ve never had the fortune to visit those cities, so I’m not sure what you’re saying there.
As for dogs being allowed on transit – it seems to me that if the only potential doggy playground is to be out in Newlands there are a great many people who, without cars of their own, will have no way to get there. It would certainly make sense for there to be alternatives to our polluting cars.
I just got back from San Francisco.
There were not only dogs on the streets in the middle of downtown, but also dogs in the shops and dogs in hotels. The fact that people were able to do their errands and exercise their dogs at the same time did not seem to be causing any problems whatsoever for either the people or the dogs.
There’s definitely a lesson there for Wellington.
Thanks Mary Ellen.
Wellington is so far away from that level of being dog-friendly I have trouble even imagining it!
It would be great if all of those who are concerned about Wellington’s dog policy would add your name to this e-petition:
http://www.wellington.govt.nz/haveyoursay/e-petitions/ep/details/97
by 8 October, 2009.
Please do this even if you have made a written or oral submission to the Council or signed other dog-related petitions. It is an attempt to bring together the concerns of dog owners (and friends of dogs) throughout the city into a single statement.