Residents call for greater flexibility in off-leash parks

BY BRITTNEY KLEYN

More than 100 Eastern Suburbs dog owners have signed a petition calling for the off-leash hours at Rushcutters Bay Park to be extended.
By law, dogs need to be kept on leashes between 8am and 6pm on the city side of the park.
‘They’ve got signs up now, but not very clear signs,” Woollahra dog owner Donald Cartwright said. “You have to read well down to see what the restrictions are. Everyone is indignant about it.”
Knowing when to let your dog off its leash is further complicated by the fact that restrictions differ depending on which side of Rushcutters Bay Park you are on.
On the Woollahra side, dogs can be off-leash before 8.30am and after 4.30pm, giving owners an extra hour of daylight.
Donald Cartwright knows of one woman who was fined by plain-clothes rangers for allowing her dog off its leash on the city side of the park.
“The city side is a lovely tree-filled area,” he said. “There’s a nice social scene there. It would be hard for a human to exercise [there].”
Mr Cartwright expects to have at least 200 signatures before he delivers his petition to council this week. “We could live with on-lead between 8.30am and 3.30pm on weekends,” he said. “For some reason a vocal minority got the hours [they wanted].”
Rushcutters Bay dog owner and former Climate Change Coalition candidate, Dixie Coulton, told The City News: ‘Clover Moore is in there with her plain clothes rangers, who are the ones creating problems.’
Ms Coulton said Lord Mayor Moore is too preoccupied with the election to take off-leash issues seriously. ‘ [The Lord Mayor] made it off-leash only where the vote counts,’ she said.
Meanwhile, other city dog owners have branded council’s free dog obedience classes a “joke”.
Earlier this month the City of Sydney began taking bookings for the free training classes. But with a maximum of 10 students in each group, more than 150 residents have already been put on a waiting list.
“The waiting list for dog obedience classes is a further example of the lack of preparation the city had before implementing such a radical policy,” outgoing Deputy Lord Mayor Tony Pooley said.
Council CEO Monica Barone said the city’s ongoing commitment to pet owners remains strong. But some residents have been put off by the waiting list.
One Darlinghurst resident and dog owner said: “Frankly, it’s a joke’When I made enquiries about enrolling, I was told I was waitlisted for one of these courses and I never heard back.”
A council liaison, Tara Dethridge, said word-of-mouth has led to a higher than expected number of registrations.
“The classes continue to be a fantastic success for the city, city residents and their dogs,” Ms Dethridge said.
Pet obedience and off-leash parks have now become election issues, with Labor’s mayoral hopeful Meredith Burgmann weighing in.
She said it is important to encourage pet ownership, but added, “I’m concerned it has gone too far and there is not enough concern for [residents] of the city.”
Council-run dog obedience classes begin on Saturday September 20 in parks across the city.