A local councillor says the beach isn’t the place to let your dog run around off leash.
Division 5 councillor Greg Barnes says there’s been an influx of complaints of unrestrained pets around Bargara, particularly at the beach near the CBD.
“I’ve asked that we have an increased surveillance around the foreshore areas and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens from there,” he says.
“I think if a few people are pulled up on it, whether or not fines are issued, I think the word will soon get around amongst the canine community.”
It’s against local laws to have dogs off leash on most local beaches, but there are two designated dog parks in Bargara for animals to play in.
“We all think our dogs are well behaved and are not going to do anything but dogs can take an aggressive stance against other dogs and the last thing we want to do is see somebody get surprised by that and somebody coming up later on saying ‘I didn’t think he would do that, or she would do that’,” Cr Barnes says.
He adds there are ways to cool down pets while keeping everyone safe.
“I can’t see anything wrong with having a 10 or 15 metre long leash and let them have a splash in the surf and that but you’ve still got them under control if they do run towards another person or another dog.”
