Dog Exclusion Areas in Sports Fields

IT AMAZES ME THAT THE SUPPOSED DOG PROBLEM ON SPORTSGROUNDS SURVEY HAS BEEN EXTENDED.CANNOT TTHE COUNCIL REALISE THAT THEIR
IDEA IS NOT POPULAR AND DO AS RESIDENTS WANT FOR A CHANGE. GIVE UP WE DO NOT NEED MANAGING AT ALL TIMES ONLY THE COUNCIL NEEDS THAT1
MEG

I just want to register my sadness that( bmcc) is considering excluding dogs on ovals. I have been in the mountains most of my life born at Katoomba in 1951. i think the lack of love for animals is a shame, i love my dog, walk her everyday and do the right thing by taking a plastic bag and using it. If i am exempt from using ovals can i be exempt from paying all of my rates. This move on dog owners could be the beginning of an uprising. Can we also stop birds from flying over the green grassy oval, oh and by the way i also pick up used condoms on ovals, maybe these ovals can only be used by a special few.!!!!

Want "stability moving forward" Independent councillor Brendan Luchetti? Then think very closely about the way you vote on this issue ahead of re-contesting your position on Blue Mountains City Council (BMCC) at the September local government elections. Know that dog lovers, their families and friends are watching your vote closely here!!!

Lawson dog-run and other Blue Mountains dog-runs are under threat because
sports people have complained about responsible, rate-paying people who walk their dogs, on leashes on public ovals.

OVER 40% OF THE BLUE MOUNTAINS COMMUNITY IS REGISTERED DOG OWNERS. AUSTRALIA HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST DOG OWNERSHIPS IN THE WORLD.

It's time the greed stopped! There is talk that we will lose a major part of the Lawson dog run, too. It is more than just an expensive piece of land. It is an investment in the very life, health and happiness of the community. Dog owners pay their rates and are entitled to use these public areas.

The Blue Mountains Council is hopeless. Go out west and you will find many beautifully maintained dog runs, allowing all day use. Stop the greed and start investing in the life and soul of the Blue Mountains community.

There is nowhere in the Mountains comparable to the dog run at Lawson. As rate payers, we deserve access to such a facility.

With regards to Sports People, I object to the noise, spitting, hooligan behaviour, the rubbish, the number of cars and P plate drivers who drive recklessly in the car parks of the ovals and men taking a pee on the side-lines during sporting events. Let's ban that, shall we!

I love sporting events - but let us be fair when it comes to the complaints list! Humans make far more mess, noise and environmental distress that any dog can.

Also, who has determined that 5000 signatures is the number required for RATE PAYING CUSTOMERS to be able to have their say? Did sports people have to make a submission of 5000 complaints in writing?

I have a friend who was jogging around a sports oval & stepped on a syringe which went through her jogger & into her foot. After it was surgically removed at hospital she had to wait 3 months to find out if she was hiv positive.
My neighbours 11 year old son cut his knee so badly on a stubby bottle buried in a sand area in pitt park wentworth falls, he needed multiple stitches, a tetanus shot & missed 3 days at school.
Perhaps mayor myles could ring them both & tell them how lucky they were that they didnt step in dog droppings.

I have just recently heard about this issue from my classmate and I think this is a ridiculous idea. Dogs have rights just as we do. They don't deserve to be turned away. All dogs want is a space to stretch their legs and chase a ball. They shouldn't be deprived of their right to have a place to be dogs, free and happy. Yes a few owners forget to pick up after their dog but the majority do what's right. I for one think this is a bloody stupid idea.

I just read Joanna Taylor's post. She writes just what I was about to write. I exercise my dog at Pit Park at least several times a week. It is months since I have seen any dog poo on the oval. What I have seen is the rubbish left behind by sports groups, individual athletes, schools meetings. Why no fuss about this, or resolutions to ban humans from our ovals?

The issue is dog poo in all its forms. The majority of dog owners will try and do the right thing, especially in shared areas and pickup after their dog. A common issue is forgetting your bags or the dog leaving more than expected. Port Macquarie Council have poop bags available on a post at most of their beaches. Also garbage bins specifically for that purpose. This seems to have solved an issue that I had seen at Lighthouse Beach that was previously a poop minefield. Nice and clean now with that simple approach. I agree with a fine for dog owners that do not abide by the rules.

This proposal will only be supported by the same few Blue Mountains Councillors who have been running interference on dog friendly reform for years & are the main reason we lag 2 decades behind the rest of NSW on this issue. Their motives make sense only to themselves ; they believe if they put the boot into dog owners somehow this is giving sport a boost. Yes, it's as simple (& as stupid) as that.
Who are they?; Just watch who votes in favour of the ban @ the deciding Council meeting to be held in May & you'll have the answer. Let's all be there!.

I shall write one last comment on this issue,that is,if the Council members read this website,they should be absolutely ashamed of the many side issues,this has revealed against their Council,besides the dog issue.If this issue has been ongoing since 2010 as per the Gazette,why has it not been solved before now?Truly a perfect example of how atrociously the Council treats community issues.
I do strongly suspect the latest influx of new members that have given their ears to this issue and have reopened the case and the 2 I have in mind were certainly not voted for by me !!
Council has some explaining to do ref.the legality of banning rate paying residents and their fee paying dogs from accessing the public land they help pay for.Council as usual has got it all wrong and has caused an incredible sour note amongst a large section of the community.Already,newcomers have become aware of the situation here and are somewhat disgusted that it has become such an issue,hence,they are already wary of the way the council acts.( I noticed this 32 yrs ago...things have not changed.)

I was discussing the dog waste health issue with my doctor the other day. She tells me that in 30 years of practice, she has not treated one patent for illness due to "exposure to dog faeces". She thinks it's a joke and an extremely flimsy excuse for a ban. She actually laughed. There's more chance of infection from rats droppings and birds droppings. In my 50 years, many people I know have become ill - due to cancer, leukemia, heart disease, staff, the common cold etc. Every illness imaginable. I have not come across one person in my life who has become ill due to exposure to doggie doo. Yes, it is messy and unpleasant - I wouldn't recommend touching it without a thorough hand washing later. But as far as I can ascertain, no one has actually died from it or even become sick. This excuse is a very flimsy - some sports people must simply not want ANY dogs around. So could the council please calm down and exercise some restraint? Put this silly issue in perspective perhaps? There is far more possibility of infection from exposure to all of the glass and rubbish left after sport. It's disturbing that the council who constantly cry poor are wasting so much money 'researching' this trite issue. Gathering from these comments, people thing litter from sport matches is a much greater problem.

I've got a sickening feeling that the Council have already decided to implement this and any interaction with the community is a smokescreen. Apparently the "steering committee" was basically just used to do clerical work and has zero bearing on what the council will (undemocratically) decide to do. It's obvious that the community are about 98% against and 2% for - so of course the council will do what they always do and go with the 2%! Shame on them.

I am a frequent user of the Lomatia Park with my 2 mini foxies. I am a responsible dog owner and feel that if these exclusions were to come into place I as a rate payer of BM would be discriminated against. I have the same rights as sports people to access the resources of the BM. The problem as I see it is that some dog owners are irresponsible and do not pick up feaces ,control
their dogs appropriately and this is the problem that needs to be addressed rather than excluding dogs from grounds. In my area there are no paved foot paths other than Hawkesbury Rd (and that's not all the way) and therefore if access to sports ground is to be restricted there are no safe alternatives to exercising the dogs. I belive we all have an equal responsiblity to care for our limited spaces- sports people and dog owners alike. We are all encouraged
to exercise more and be outdoors- to do this we have to share what is available. I would suggest that there needs to be improved signage at parks and advertising which identify the consequences of not doing the right and legal
thing, if there were a blitz on dog owners that do not do the right thing then the message would start to get out there. Also if there were poo bag dispensers at the entrance to each ground for easy access near the signage then this could assist.
Sports people also need to do the right thing as well. We all need to respect each others right to have access to these facilities and all do the right thing.

Wow, just reading some of the coments I think the issue is more than dogs on ovals, the propsal is so divisive. Council should be working to pull the community together rather than divide them, do they now what Community means? We all have responsibility the look after the community assets, Dog owners can pick up after ther pets as most do, and Sports people can clean up after there games.Everyone can be Adult enough about this to mention to a walker if they miss a poo or if another person has dropped or left they're macca's wrappings!
We all have equal responsibility to care for the ovals we all enjoy in our own ways with our pets or sports groups, IT'S SIMPLE ......

According to the Blue Mountains City Council website, the 2012/13 Sporting Facilities expenditure budget is $11,891,125, with a planned revenue budget of $5,469,364 - this gives a net difference of $6,421,762 which must be funded by the 35,000 Blue Mountains rate payers.

The proposal suggests that the 40% of ratepayers who own a dog are no longer able to use the sporting facilities, so therefore these 14,000 ratepayers should no longer pay for the facilities they are not allowed to use. This means a saving for dog owners of $183 each per year on their rates, or $2,568,704 across all doggie households.

There are 21 facilities in question. Therefore the sporting users of each facility will need to each spend an additional $122,319 annually for each facility for the privilege of their exclusive use. It is a shame they don't spend some of this extra money they apparently have on cleaning the grounds after their matches.

Obviously the sporting clubs are wealthier than what I thought. Or they don't have basic mathematical skills. Or they have an immoral persuasive ability with the council.

Everyone knows that for a few dollars you can buy a good supply of plastic bags and a pooper scooper and before each match someone does a quick run around the ground to pick up any droppings and the immense amount of litter left by previous sporting users. The answer is pretty obvious to anyone with common sense. Let everyone who pays for the facilities use them equally, to pay for exclusive use will send the sporting clubs and the council broke.

I am vehemently opposed to excluding dogs from sports ovals. But I am in total agreement with previous comments about the amount of rubbish left by the human users of sports ovals. It is disgusting to see (and have to pick up) all the rubbish left in the vicinity of Warimoo Oval every weekend - and it is spread all the way down to the end of the street. Items I've picked up include copious amounts of McDonalds packaging and food, broken glass, and cigarettes, right through to broken chairs and condom wrappers. These people even leave their rubbish on the playing field! A bit of biodegradable dog poop on the grass, or even on your shoe, every now and then is nothing compared to the environmental impact of all that rubbish. You litterers should be ashamed of yourselves.

Dogs and sports can and do coexist perfectly well and there is no need for exclusions. My family have been playing soccer on Blue Mountains ovals for over 8 years and have also been dog owners for the duration. We have never even noticed any dog dirt on the ovals and even as coach and manager we were never aware of this as a problem. The mountains are already extremely limited with respect to dog walking options partly because so much of the area is National Park but we can do a lot better. When people come out of their houses and walk a dog at a community park or sportsground it adds to the amenity and community spirit. Overly regulated environments detract from a community spirit. How about installing some dog-poo dispensers at local parks and sportsgrounds. And how about a bit more tolerance.

I am opposed to dog exclusions in parks and ovals. I want to be able to walk my dog to a park rather than put them into the car and drive them somewhere. Not environmentally friendly - besides I pay rates like everyone else! As for the waste thing - its a case of one poop on the oval and we are all blamed. If you follow that rule we should exclude ALL teenagers from the Skate Park (Glenbrook), because, my goodness, you should see the rubbish they leave behind!

I agree with other comments regarding littering by people who use sports grounds & parks. As a dog owner, I and others are constantly picking up litter (drink cans, plastic bottles, food wrappers etc) and disposing the rubbish in bins. The immediate impact on the environment is far greater in terms of this form of littering! Council could provide bins for dog owners as another contributor has suggested. Dog owners often socialise and meet other community members. Dogs and owners are happier and healthier engaging in the outdoors. Often, older people form friendships and socialise through their pets. I have yet to see any dog owners discarding non-biodegradable rubbish when they walk their dogs!

One thing I meant to add - would the councillors please refrain from suggesting Bulls Camp as a dog park once and for all? I'd prefer to not have to scrape the remains of my dog off the Great Western Highway. In case people dont know, this is near woodford right next to the GWH with no fences. A pet cemetery if ever there was one. That's got to be someone's idea of a sick joke for a dog park. This whole dog ban thing must be someone's idea of a sick joke too. It's highly unnecessary, discriminatory, hypocritical and frankly outrageous. Just cant believe i'd be banned from a place that's left like a rubbish dump after weekend sport. if sports clubs want full control of the ovals, they should buy them off the council (for top dollar). i was taught to share as kid - pity some of these other people werent

My community went through the same debate when I lived in Balmain. They solved the problem by supplying bags and bins for dog faeces. Responsible dog owners set the example and educated those who were not so responsible - FAST. If a highly populated area like Balmain can do it, so can Katoomba.

One of the reasons I was looking forward to living in the country was the freedom of more open beautiful space and more relaxed attitudes (and I don't mean allowing dogs to evacuate anywhere). In a lovely country town we should be able to have off-leash areas for dogs and having dogs on leashes at outside tables at cafés. I am a responsible dog owner - education is the key. In the 8 years I have been here, Katoomba is fast becoming up tight and narrow minded. Very sad.

Allowing space for dogs to play off leash, creates a well socialised dog with other dogs as well as humans. Which means less dog attacks which can only be a good thing. Plenty of open space exercise also means less barking created from boredom and too much energy. Also a good thing.

Sports players shouldn't have to deal with dog poo on their face but I notice they don't complain about litter they leave behind.

It is time to SHARE our PUBLIC spaces (and that means for all the public) and ALL be responsible. Grow up Katoomba, it's time!