Not too long left for WCC's draft dog policy

Submissions for the new Draft Dog Policy for residents of Wellington City Council's suburbs close on the 7th August (next Friday).

For those residents who want to have a say regarding this proposed new policy, please see the Council's website here.

In summary, the Council proposes the following changes:

• five new off-leash dog exercise areas
• improved access for dogs and their owners to the waterfront through the central business district
• a proposal for a destination dog park
• new provisions for Responsible Dog Owner status
• criteria to determine the need to neuter menacing dogs
• new policy objectives that recognise the positive community health benefits of owning a dog.

There are also some important changes being proposed to the current dog parks available to WCC residents, so it is worth checking out their dog exercise area maps here.

It is important to note that there is no mention in the Dog Policy Proposal document of making dog exercise areas safer or more accessible to dog owners and walkers by installing lighting or watering stations, increasing the number of rubbish bins or improving access to the areas. These are the key things I think are of most importance to dog owners in Wellington City.

To make a submission to Council (and oral submissions are encouraged as they "will carry weight with councillors" according to Councillor Iona Pannett), see the details on the Council's website.

Councillor Pannett also welcomes discussions with interested residents - her contact details are listed below.

Iona Pannett
Associate Social Portfolio leader and Wellington City Councillor (Lambton Ward)
Address: 27 Caroline Street, Mt Victoria, Wellington 6011
Telephone: 384-3382 (work)/021-227-8509 (mobile)
E-mail: iona.pannett@wcc.govt.nz

What do you want to see done with Wellington City Council's dog exercise areas?

An update from The Pet Hub

Wow time certainly goes quickly when you have a big event coming up. For those of you in the Pet Club, you will have received our email newsletter a few days ago letting you know that we are going to have a stand at the upcoming Pet Expo being held at the Addington Raceway (1st & 2nd of August). We have been super-busy preparing for Pet Expo and we're keenly looking forward to it. Drop by our stand (we will be on the ground floor in the dog area near the stage) if you come along - don't be afraid to say hi! We will have some great items to give away, exciting demonstrations that we hope you will be able to check out, and many other fantastic reasons for visiting. We very much hope to see you there.

It's also a good time of year to remind you to book your pets Christmas holiday accommodation. I know, July? But trust me, all the best accommodation providers will be near capacity already so get in now to avoid disappointment and pre-Christmas stress for you and your pets.

During July, we hope to also bring you new information about caring for your pet turtle, and how you can keep these cool pets happy and healthy.

We are also in negotiations to have an ongoing presence on another prominent web site which is very exciting. We'll update you as soon as we know whether this is confirmed.

Please bear with us over the next few weeks in the lead-up to Pet Expo. We will continue to work on the site as well during this time. And don't hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or queries whatsoever.

Purrs and woofs!
Rochelle and Francesca