Dog Exclusion Areas in Sports Fields

A group of long standing, knee jerk, anti dog BMC Councillors has brought on this dog ban proposal. The negative & divisive attitude of this group does not represent those of all Councillors.
Their strategy is simple : Council settles for a "partial" ban of some kind (eg; a time ban; weekends only, or seasonal, or a ban on less ovals than first nominated, etc) & presents this to the community as a compromise. It's politics 101
Thus, the "dog ban on sports grounds' principle is established & extending it to other Blue Mountains ovals, becomes simply an administrative matter.
They have a good chance of success, despite the avalanche of public fury (3 & 1/2 years to the next Council election) & they can then resume their irrational anti dog activites with redoubled enthusiasm.

Many people have dogs and the spaces in the mountains to take them is very limited as so much of the area is National Park. Other councils have prominent plastic bag dispensers and bins for doggie waste around parks, beaches, ovals. I suggest council does the same! Far more folk take their doggie out, than use sport fields for sport. Why not an awareness campaign as well!

I believe as a member of the Blue Mountains community we should be able to bring our dogs to a specifically designated off-leash dog park where dogs and people are able to socialise independantly of age, cultural background, gender, physical and mental status. It is beneficial for both dogs and owners as it increases social togetherness, physical and mental health. Happy dogs are friendly dogs. Happy people are friendly people. We have the right to enjoy the great outdoors together in a safe environment. This is networking and neighbourhood watch on it's highest level and it encourages us all to take care of each other and to be responsible dog owners. We excecute our hobby and our passion and wish to continue to do so at Leura Oval. Dog owners enjoy this park 48hrs per week while cricket or other sporting events just use the facility a few hrs per week.
To reduce this problem, BMCC should take action to save these parks. They should enforce this by placing dog waste bags and bins in easy accessible places around these parks. These bags should be friendly to nature e.g. bio-degradeable bags.
Research shows health benefits of dog companionship and it will lower health care costs in the long run.

Thank you for saving Blue Mountains dog parks!
These o

We have been taking our dog to our son's soccer matches for seven years. We are vigilant about our dog's behaviour and are also very conscious of other dogs. In my experience, owners look after dogs very well. I have never seen a dog allowed to leave a mess, or cause any sort of nuisance or disturbance.

If dogs were banned, this would detract from the enjoyment of the occasion for most of the people there, who know the dogs and treat them as part of the occcasion.

It is sad that anyone would see fit to make this an issue.

Here is my solution to the problem. (I don't actually believe one exists but some practical concession might need to be made to shut up this trivial minority with apparent 'council sway') - Buy 1x pooper scooper and some waste bags to be left in every oval club house. If sporting club personnel are concerned that there maybe 'hazardous' faeces, do a quick sweep before the first match on Saturday and/or Sunday mornings. It would take 1 person approx 5 minutes to check a soccer field. I have personally never seen more than a couple of instances of waste on an oval at the same time. Is this not a more even-handed, cheap solution than permanently ruining the recreation of thousands of law-biding Mountains citizens? It's not the most pleasant task surely, but then neither is cleaning up all the litter dumped by sports teams after their matches. They are incredibly hypocritical in regards to this issue.

Poop Scoop:
https://www.worldforpets.com.au/products/163332050
I would happily donate one to my local oval if it would shut up these moaners once and for all even though I already clean up after my dog.

Dog faeces is admittedly unpleasant, however in this day and age most dog owners are educated to clean up on the go. There will always be a minority of 'rule breakers' and these people will not care whether a ban is in place or not. Hence there will always be a degree of faeces present in public, no matter what restrictions are in place. Much like there will always be litter, cigarette butts, graffiti etc, no matter what fines exist. That is common sense. What an extreme injustice it would be to place a ban on 40% of households because of a small number who do the wrong thing and a vocal minority of complainers.

I just drove home past Lapstone Oval after a day of Saturday sport. The rubbish left by the players / spectators is usually limited to the actual oval and surrounding bush but tonight it was strewn across the kerb and onto the road. To think that dogs cause any problem in comparison to human waste is totally unreasonable and disproportionate to the actual issue of waste left by the sporting players. It would be a far better use of our rates to spend money on providing bags for sporting players and dog walkers alike to pick up after themselves. Most dog walkers pick up after their dogs, and often other dogs. this is more than can be said for the sporting players and spectators. Both need to learn to use and care for the facilities and this is what the council should be encouraging.

My family lives in Glenbrook near the Glenbrook Oval. My son and I take our jack russell to the oval almost every morning for our morning exercise run before heading to work and school. This run forms part of our daily routine and not only beneficial to the dog but for us as well. We have our dog on a leash and carry doggie bags always. We do the responsible thing and pickup after our dog. this BAN is not fair and we have as much right to use the oval (which is deserted in the morning) as other sporting enthusiast or citizen. I hope that BMCC will take the "common sense" approach and forgo on this nonsense. in these days, common sense is not common when it comes to public service. People should take responsibility for picking up after their pets. You know who you are...Smarten up.
Chronic

It is disgraceful to consider banning dogs from sports ovals in the area that may only be used once or twice in the week! we pay huge rates in glenbrook and live in the Blue Mountains because of the dog friendly areas! most dog owners are responsible and dogs provide companionship and love to many elderly residents as well as ratepayers!

StuSax we agree 100%!
We would also like to add that sometimes dogs are just being dogs.. they somehow escape the back yard and find the nearest patch of grass to spread these infectious poos!
Also the money that might be spent on making and maintaining signs warning people of dog exclusion zones might be better spent on providing poo bags and dispensers and maybe some poo bins around those infected ovals where all this is happening.
The majority of dog owners are very responsible, how about the sport spectators??

99% of dog owners are responsible, where did you pluck that statistic from? Barking dogs destroy the peace and quiet of the mountains. Dog faeces litter the parks and sports grounds. Dogs off leash, I don't know if your dog is aggressive or not. 99% of dog owners 'think' they are responsible.

I think banning all dogs from sports areas is overkill. As others have stated 99% of dog owners are responsible enough to pick up after their dogs. And I think that as long as the dog is under control (on a leash and/or well trained) there should be no problem with sharing the areas. Obviously if sport is being played the dogs don't go on the ovals - but that shouldn't exclude them from the areas around the sports oval. Have you been to an oval after a cricket or soccer match lately? Rubbish everywhere! Because some people just aren't going to pick up after themselves.

I personally use walking my dog as my major form of exercise. I have MS and don't engage in any other sports. This is the one thing I can do without falling and I enjoy being able to take my dog off road as it were.

Also the 1% of people irresponsible enough to ignore the mess their dogs make are not going to be any more responsible walking on footpaths. Do you really want to have to look our for droppings walking down the road?

Then there is the safety issue. Dogs and roads really don't mix. If you are driving and someone is walking their dog off leash on a footpath - are you going to be concerned about the traffic or the possibility that the dog will run out in front of you?

Finally I really don't think that a dog ban will discourage people who don't care to pick up after their dogs from walking on sports areas. If they don't care to pick up after their dogs in the first place - why would they care if they are walking where they shouldn't?

This whole thing is - as I stated at the top - overkill. Provide a bin at the entrances to the areas and maybe some poo bags as they do in the city dog walking areas.

In response to Frank 21/03/2013; I am a dog owner with serious concern about the serious threat to quality of life for pet dogs and elderly dog owners. I can find alternatives; I can take my dog on private property, or go outside the BMCC area. There are many folk in the BM who do not have this luxury. I also have serious concern that Frank's grandchildren be able to run free without the inconvenience of dog faeces. Can you be specific and advise which oval, how many instances of dog faeces? BM ovals are reasonably well maintained, the grass is usually short, and normal firm dog faeces can be spotted from quite some distance. Let us say that you are aware there may be dog faeces, and there were 6 instances of dog faeces in your chosen exercise area - is it too much for you to take plastic bags and remove the offensive faeces rather than deprive your grandchildren of enjoyment and exercise? If you have hygiene concern, carry rubber gloves in your pocket. I think you have wrong priority. I set up agility gear for dog training, and I check and clear the area including removal of sticks blown by the wind, before exercise is commenced. On my approach to my chosen area, I pick up and correctly dispose of any sandwiches, sweets, drink cans, the occasional glass beer bottle and empty spray cans. Glass bottles are usually unbroken, but on occasions I spend time picking up the pieces of glass. All this I do for the privilege of being able to use public ground to train and exercise my dog. I think your grandchildren justify a little more effort on your behalf. I do not take my dog home because of the state of the oval - I fix the situation and protect my dog from harm. I cannot clear the area of duck faeces - that would be impractical; but I try to train my dog to not eat it. When using the ovals, I wear treaded boots. When leaving Lawson oval on a damp winters evening after the grass has been recently cut I expect the soles of my boots to be full of grass and duck faeces - that is common sense.
Bill DCL

There is not enough space in the blue mountains for exclusive use areas. That being said dog owners need to act responsibly which 99% of dog owners are these days.

Health? When exactly did dogs become so infectious? Why hasn't this been an issue for the last 200 years or so? Why is it suddenly only affecting dogs in the blue mountains? The rest of the country seems immune. How mysterious! Maybe our council should line up all of our dogs and shoot them because they have suddenly become such a dreadful health hazard (but only in the precious blue mountains since the last council election). The council are getting in very deep water with this. What a stupid joke. There's more of a threat from rubbish and glass than dog poo. What about all the possum poo and other wildlife that get on the parks? What about all the bird poo? How about quarantining all the players who have a bit of a runny nose? we can't have them passing on infections. The council better ban all gays too - they might spread aids if they touch the same ball! Oh dear, where does it end? Some people need to go and live in a perfectly sanitized bubble.

In regards to how much the ovals get used apart from weekend sport - I can only speak from my local oval, Gloria Park, which is almost entirely deserted on weekdays. You'll come across the odd friendly jogger or council worker having lunch, but that's about it. One of the local private schools does sport there occasionally. They are a very polite bunch of kids who seem to love patting my dog. (I hope the pooch hasn't given them some deathly sickness, since apparently he's become really infectious since he's been living in the Mountains). Some clubs have training after school, but that still leaves a huge percentage of the week where it's entirely deserted. What a dreadful waste of space and money. I dont want to contribute towards its upkeep any more if I'm banned from using it.

This issue has nothing to do with the so-called rights of dog owners or of others who do not own dogs. It is an issue of Health. Both human and dog fecies are potential sources of infection. Ovals are not a place for their deposition. A generous compromise is to dedicate an area in each part of the BM where dogs and their owners can exercise at will. This would never be an area used by others such as sports teams, school groups, children playing and so on.

Ref letter from Margot.Sorry,but this issue is about dogs on ovals,not barking dogs.A phone call to the rangers'office usually starts the ball rolling.Maybe some of them would not bark if they had a welcoming place for their owners to take them!

Living in Glenbrook, the green space of the sporting oval is well used on a daily basis by a range of people, including Little A's, rugby teams, personal training groups and dog owners. It is always clean and well looked after, and as a daily user with my dog, I know that nearly all responsible dog owners who make the effort to take pets for a walk, will clean up after their dog. This green space is important to everyone - it's keeps us sane, active and social and is a vital component of the all-of-government approach for helping obesity prevention. Dogs are not the problem in this area when compared to the MOUNTAINS of rubbish littering in the neighboring skatepark and car park, which is generally left to locals to try to clean up as they walk through. To support responsible dog management in these public spaces, the council needs to place dog-poo bag stations and bins on site- at Glenbrook oval, there is a bin bracket, but no bin! Other councils have managed this strategy well for years.

The question is not so much about dogs on sportsground ovals, but the fact that barking dogs are driving me mad...dogs barking 24/7 is not what I call a satisfactory living situation for human beings. I don't see why we should be subjected to the neighbour's selfish attitudes and not take into consideration those who live around them. What can council do to alleviate the problem...owners just think its their right to let the neighbours suffer ? I'm fed up!

The sporting fields belong to all of us; not just the footy clubs who use them at best, no more than twice a week for 2 or 3 hours; 4 or 5 months of the year. Anyway, dog owners outnumber footy players by a large margin. Having said that, I agree with the proposition that dopey dog owners who let their mutt make a nuisance in public areas (including leaving poo) should be subject to greater sanctions. A prohibition would only impact upon responsible dog owners who usually do the right thing anyway.

Maybe the BMCC instead of erecting prohibbited signs, banning dogs from sporting fields they could instead install dog toilet bins with a supply of biodegradable bags for the rate payers as other councils in Sydney do. I drive my dogs to a wonderful dog friendly area, with an excellent supply of theese bins, in the Lithgow council, as I find the area more accepting of dogs and their owners. its sad that the BMCC and other rate payers aren't as accepting.