Corrupt TTG council

Dog mismanagement

Now the officials say that state does not give them power nor legislation to stop dog cruelty and negligence nor to ensure the peace in neighbourhood. Earlier they simply lied and denied the facts. The local government officials not short of insane behaviour. They for instance declare that they are serious on peace and responsible dog ownership, but do everything contrary to that. They made absolutely nothing to prevent dog problems, and they deny any reports on dog problems and finally they dismiss any evidence of problem dogs. I mean any evidence whether it is verbal report, written report, inspector seeing and hearing the problem deny any knowledge and even video evidence is not an evidence to the council.

There is not one specific dog creating a problem in whole council area. Almost all dogs are trouble making. Some owners are intelligent and they minimise the likelyhood of problem and majority are not. Also some dogs are trouble by their nature and other are placid. Nevertheless thousands of dogs in the council area do make problem for neighbourhood and they are also neglected and in many instances this is a serious negligence and cruelty to them.

It is negligence and cruelty when routinely dog is barking for hours without an end from early morning hours, as well as afternoon and late at night even after midnight. If this is going on for days, weeks and years, it is a gross negligence from the owner and from the local and state governments. There is no after hours contact to call and expect the problem is solved. The council instructs the operator of an emergency number not to take reports at all on barking dogs regardless of anything. The RSPCA is also instructed by Rann government not to take notice on barking dogs even when they bark for 3 days non stop.

It is then the conspiracy to let dogs and neighbourhood to suffer.

In any case it is not management, it is negligence and cruelty to animals and serious health risk to all neighbourhood. Chronic stress is a major contributor to sleep problem, to productivity loss, irritability and road crashes as well as immunity weakness and illness including cancers and also what was recently published, scientists have shown beyond any doubt that chronic stress cause brain cells to die.

All that is absolutely unnecessary and it shows a corruption because government allocate and consume lots of public money yet fail to deliver. It is corruption because it fails in principle to manage rather than mismanage anything they have responsibility and here is dog issue.

Some time ago the current lord Mayor came to see the problem herself and she did absolutely nothing to improve the situation for years she is in highest position.

The mentally ill owner of two noisy dogs was told by the council inspector to make his dogs quiet because they literally chased the neighbour away, he had to sleep in friends place because the dogs were barking non stop for about 3 days. The mentally ill owner got shock from hearing the complaint and called the ambulance and got taken on stretches to hospital for 24 hours. Dogs were left locked inside alone and were barking all that time. The council officially stated afterwards that one has no knowledge of any problem with dogs there.

Can they behave in more insane way?

Same mentally ill dog owner lately called police twice in one night including after midnight accusing his neighbour for deliberately provoking the dogs. Police while visiting the neighbour immediately suggested to complain the next morning to the council as the owner is known to police for years to have inability to control his dogs and in fabricating stories.

This is also not an evidence to TTG council that the owner is not fit to have the dogs nor care for them as he cannot care for himself.

Lately the manager Chris Buckley and Craig Hicks  have blamed the state for lack of legislation allowing council to act in powerful manner.

The Customer service Co ordinator Ross O’Callaghan received the video evidence and briefing that it is mismanagement, negligence, cruelty and health risk and nuisance to neighbours. There is no reaction from her nor from the council.

The CEO Di Rogowski of the council refused to make and appointment to hear the problem.

The Lord Mayor Miriam Smith also for over a week made no appointment to face the situation

Is it a management or mismanagement and corruption?

27/4/10  After a week of waiting for an interview with Lord Mayor, I have paid a visit to the office to ask for the interview. Instead (as usually) Mr Craig Hicks came and promised to reply. Here is his reply.

Dear Mr (personal details omitted)

I am aware that you have an issue with an alleged barking dog at XX. As per previous conversations I would request that you follow the process as set down for all complaints of this type,

and that is that you fill in a “barking dog diary”. This is a process which Council has used for a number of years. We are obliged to treat all complaints using a similar process and therefore in your instance we require you to follow this process.

Following your telephone call on 19 April complaining that the dog was barking at that time, a Council officer attended XX at 9.09am and remained in the street for a period of approximately 1 hour. He

deliberately slammed the door of the car, the boot etc to see if the dogs would react. They did not react. During the initial time at the house ie the first 30 minutes he did not notice anything unusual as the dogs were not barking. He also did a door knock of local residents which revealed that there was not an issue for them regarding the dog at XX. When he was conducting the door knock the dogs did bark off and on but this is not unusual given that he was knocking on doors near by.

One person who said that they might have complained noted that that over the last 3-4 weeks the dogs had improved and it was not an issue for them.

I also understand that you have an issue with other dogs in the area namely YYY which is some considerable distance (approx 100 metres in a straight line) from your home in Arthur Street.

With regard to this latest complaint I again need to request that you complete a barking dog diary before Council will take further action.

CRAIG HICKMAN

Manager, Development & Compliance

City of Tea Tree Gully

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Mr Hicks,

I paid a visit to the council to check why for a week the Lord Meyor have not informed me when she want to have a short interview with me. You instead saw me and gave reply instead securing the interview.

Your reply is nothing but an excuse of inaction. It is irrational approach. You say in your email to me that there is an allegation that dog at XX is barking… How can you say so when you have a video evidence for that?

Mr Hicks, it is illogical of what you do and the TTG council. You collectively do absolutely nothing to prevent such problems and now you dare to say that it is alleged… You dare to say that it is alleged but verbally you say that you have no power to act because the state does not provide with right legislation.

Further you request me to do the barking diary. It is insane to make such request. It is only to make sure no dog management is to be done. You are paid to manage and you do the barking diary if you believe it make sense. Also do add to insanity of such idea, please acknowledge that the problem is a problem for neighbourhood and for the dogs themselves. It is insane to allow such cruelty and negligence to the dog for any length of time and you want weeks of that. By the way you dirty tricks have no end. In the past you simply rejected such barking diary. Barking diary, stupid invented and stupid will do it.

You state that on 19th of April the inspector came over and observed the dog for an hour and nothing happened. What you want to say by that? Have you seen the video given to Ross O’Callahan showing hours of barking? And similar evidence on other occasions? Isn’t it sufficient? If not, than I suggest, let the inspector spend whole week there.

Door knocking is doomed to fail from the start. Only two factors may explain that. Every second house hold does have a dog. No neighbour usually want to say anything against their neighbour. And there are surely many other factors.

Well Mr Hicks when your council have instructed the emergency number attendant not to take reports of barking dogs at midnight or even after 1am, than please give me your phone number, I ring you when it happen, come immediately and witness your self. Well the 9pm to 1:30am barking non stop if you allege that you have no evidence that this is cruelty and negligence, than I do not want to communicate with you any more. And regardless of your believes, you have done nothing, I mean nothing to ensure this is unlikely. It is an offence to refer to my report as an allegation while you have done absolutely nothing to ensure it is unlikely. Have you checked with dog psychologist? Have you checked if the dog is well cared and exercised? And so on and on.

Mr Hicks, another nonsense what you say regarding the next dog you mention. What any distance has do do with dog management? Are you trying to say that you have no idea what dog management does mean?

It is irrelevant where I live and where the dog is kept. If I witness number of times and for a period of time that dog is neglected, this is is an issue and not where I live.

Be sensible and concentrate on dog management.

This is not personal but public issue and please learn that this is made available for public knowledge along with whole council. It is to stamp out the corruption. Yes the public will evaluate you performance as a team and individually.

As it stand, the TTG has no policy, nor working mechanism to manage effectively the dogs and their owners. As I suggested, if you have not enough power, rules or legislations, rather than to deceive public, please request the state to allow you the necessary power.

I still insist to see the Lord Mayor and please know that it is unprofessional nor fair to refuse me for what I request. I only want a few minutes to let her know about the situation.

As I read your message and write this reply, all doors and windows must be closed because one of the dogs mentioned by you is barking for number of hours. I do not care if your inspector is there or not.

I attach the document what RSPCA propose for non responsible dog owners who do not take dog for a walk at least 3 times a day.

Thanks

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http://www.gympietimes.com.au/story/2009/12/05/rspca-proposal-mandates-dog-walking/

Walk the dog or face a fine: RSPCA

5th December 2009

RADICAL new laws being proposed by the RSPCA could punish dog owners for not walking their pets.

Under the legislation, they would have to regularly exercise dogs, ensure animals are not kept chained up and give their pets adequate food and water, News Ltd newspapers say.

If the proposal became law, dog and cat owners across Australia would face prosecution and fines of up to $12,000 for animal cruelty, and magistrates could consider jail in extreme circumstances.

Dr Hugh Wirth, head of RSPCA Victoria, is one of four experts the Federal Department of Agriculture’s welfare division has appointed to draft national animal welfare guidelines.

“The draft will tell people what they have to do rather than what they want to do,” Dr Wirth said. “The new standards would be regulatory, therefore a breach of the standards is a breach of the law.”

The proposed new laws are designed to formalise the national code, which states dogs must be walked at least once a day.

Dr Wirth said jail sentences would not be handed out for a first offence, but it would something available for magistrates to consider.

The proposed laws would be designed to help overcome the problems animal inspectors have had penalising bad owners. The working party is designed to create a national standard, but ultimately the laws would be have to be passed by state governments.