Local man Laurence Cain is on a mission to ‘take back the streets of Collie’, after being fed up with the way in which he feels the Collie streets have gone to the dogs, literally.
Mr Cain has created a Facebook group called ‘Collie take back our streets”, in order to encourage the residents of Collie to take responsibility for their actions, including dog ownership and the way in which we use the streets.
He started the Facebook page after having constant problems with a neighbour’s dog, and being frustrated in the way in which there is no courtesy on the streets anymore.
“You walk through the CBD and often you are nearly flattened by idiots. What happens if one of these idiots hits a disabled, and elderly person, or a toddler. Who is liable?”
“You only need to drive around Collie any time of the day and count the dogs. Then do it the following day. When you take the same routes to destinations you see the same dogs,” Mr Cain said.
Mr Cain went on to explain that the issue isn’t just regarding stray dogs in Collie, it’s about the bigger issue of how we treat others who uses the roads and footpaths of this town.
“Many citizens myself included need to take responsibility for our actions, the way we behave and treat others”.
“For the majority Collie is a great place but too often people see themselves as exempt from laws that are there so we can all live peacefully together”.
Mr Cain said he is keen to meet up with other like-minded locals who wish to discuss how the community can work with the Shire to overcome these issues.
“For the majority Collie is a great place but too often people see themselves as exempt from laws that are there so we can all live peacefully together”.
Shire of Collie CEO David Blurton said there has not been a rise in the number of stray dogs on Collie streets this year.
“Whilst the rangers have been kept busy in the past couple of weeks, the figures show that we have caught less strays this year than we have in the past two years.”
Mr Blurton said on behalf of the Shire of Collie Rangers, that there are various precautions you can put in place to ensure your dog does not become a problem.
“Ensuring that fencing is sound and adequate, putting springs on gates to make them self-closing and checking yards regularly for holes will all ensure that dogs are contained. Providing toys or food balls will stop dogs being bored while owners are at work and will also help.”
The role of the ranger does not just incorporate the capture of stray animals, it is also about educating pet owners, Mr Blurton explained.
“Shire of Collie Rangers have a dual role, that is compliance and education. This dual role ensures that residents understand their obligations and that problem animals are appropriately addressed with the safety of the community in mind.”
Mr Blurton said the Shire is more concerned with helping pet owners rather than using infringements.
“In all cases we help and educate dog owners on how to keep their dogs from wandering rather than use infringements as a first means, however, infringements are issued if animals are found to be wandering more than once”.
The issue needs to be resolved by the community working with the shire rather than taking to social media, Mr Blurton explained.
“Shire Rangers need the support of the community to solve the problem of containment. Reporting wandering dogs and incidents via social media does not help solve this problem and people need to contact the Shire of Collie Ranger Services to ensure incidents are addressed”.
Where there has been a dog attack, residents need to be prepared to complete witness statements so that the Shire can take appropriate action. This is a legal requirement of the Dog Act.
The Shire of Collie is currently reviewing its Dog Exercise Areas, and the proposed dog exercise areas will soon be advertised and the community will have the opportunity to make comment on these areas.
For more information on the group visit https://www.facebook.com/colliestreetsafe