Pet owners are in the doghouse

By Dion Teasdale
A HEALESVILLE resident is calling on animal welfare agencies and councils and the State Government to improve education in the community about responsible animal ownership.
Animal rights campaigner Annette Conrad said she believes some Yarra Valley residents, who are geographically and financially isolated, are not getting the message when it comes to responsible pet care.
“People living out of town and on acreage often fall through the gaps. They might not have mail delivered or get the local newspaper. They often miss out on education programs and messages,” she said.
“I’d like to see more being done to help educate people who fall through the gaps, and support them in making the right choices when it comes to responsible pet ownership.”
Mrs Conrad, who has rescued and rehabilitated injured and abandoned animals for the past 15 years, said she was concerned about the high number of dogs not being properly cared for.
“A lot of dogs in the area are not desexed, or immunised or properly contained and this leads to large numbers of unwanted litters,” she said.
“Often when a dog has an unwanted litter, the puppies are given away and the problem multiplies to the point that dogs end up being dumped or abandoned.”
Mrs Conrad said she would like welfare agencies, such as the RSPCA, and councils and the State Government to target problem areas.
She also said she would like to form a local group to look at animal ownership issues in the Yarra Valley, and has invited governments and animal welfare agencies to get involved.
Representatives from the RSPCA, the Shire of Yarra Ranges and the State Government’s Department of Agriculture have expressed interest in the idea.
Shire of Yarra Ranges community relations manager, James Martin, said the shire would be happy to look at ways to further distribute its responsible pet ownership messages.
“The shire’s community newsletter, Shirewide, regularly contains messages about pet ownership, and we offer incentives for people to have their animals desexed, registered and microchipped,” he said.
He said the shire would consider holding a responsible pet ownership day, where pets can be microchipped in Healesville.
“The shire would be more than happy to be involved in discussions about how to better target responsible pet ownership messages in the area and provide what support we can,” he said.
RSPCA executive manager of education, Jim Wilson, said the animal welfare agency would be prepared to send an education officer to a community meeting to help address issues in the area.
Anyone interested in being involved in a group can write to Annette Conrad at PO Box 1276, Healesville, 3777.