MOUNT Gambier City Council has renewed calls for dog owners to ensure their pets are properly restrained as a matter of public safety.
It follows an incident at a regional school where two dogs allegedly broke free from their owner’s control to chase a wallaby, requiring a nearby staff member to intervene.
A spokesperson from the school said the wallaby was unharmed during the incident, which is believed to have started when the dog became frightened by the wallaby’s presence.
“I guess it would just be a timely reminder that it is quite dry so wildlife are coming into the town at this time of year.”
While the incident was not reported to council, general inspectorate team leader Derek Ferguson said it provided a good opportunity to remind dog owners of their responsibilities.
“We have done a lot of media in the past about responsible dog ownership and have been working really hard to ensure there are minimal attacks in the city,” he said.
“We don’t have many dog attacks reported because the majority of people are doing the right thing.”
Mr Ferguson said the city council area has no shortage of public spaces where dogs can be let off the leash to run free.
“We are pretty well-equipped in Mount Gambier as there are six designated off-leash dog parks in the city that owners can, and have been using,” he said.
“We rarely get calls from people about dogs being let loose when they shouldn’t be at non off-leash parks.”
However, he admitted it was frustrating when incidents occurred due to dogs not being properly restrained.
“We try to promote responsible dog ownership and people need to remember that even if your dog is off the leash in a park, they are still your responsibility,” he said.
“Any reports we receive to council regarding dog incidents we will always investigate.”
Mr Ferguson said most reports council receive are in relation to wandering dogs, however the incidence of reports has been quite low recently.
“Most of our fines are for wandering dogs, but it would appear that most are being kept well secure as reports have been quite down,” he said.
“That is a positive thing at this time of year as there tends to be lots of events, such as fireworks on New Year’s Eve which is a time where dogs tend to escape.”
He said the community still had a way to go in relation to picking up after their pets.
“It is something that we will continue to educate the community on and remind them that they can be fined for not cleaning up after them,” Mr Ferguson said.
