Albury Council staff canvassing plan to stem problem of dog owners not picking up waste

Having an incentive to motivate canine lovers to be more responsible in collecting deposits has been flagged by the council's service leader for engagement Kate de Hennin.

In a report to Tuesday's council meeting, she states that despite council's communications to reach those who fail to clean-up, there is "little evidence of impact and improvement in this area".

"It is proposed that a different approach is undertaken, that being a reward-type campaign for pet owners seen doing the right thing and picking up after their dog," Ms de Hennin wrote.

Councillor David Thurley said he and his colleagues had been briefed on the issue last month, but no details was provided on what the reward may involve was canvassed.

He suspects it may involve promotion of those owners doing the right thing through the city's social media accounts.

Dog owners can be fined $275 if they do "not immediately remove dog faeces from a public place" in Albury.

The issue has been raised by Ms de Hennin as part of a report into compliance priorities for the next 12 months.

IN OTHER NEWS:

It shows dogs easily topped the list of public compliance concerns in 2021.

There were 1626 community requests to address dog matters that year compared to 1099 from November 1, 2019 to October 31, 2020.

Over the same period cat calls rose from 455 to 486 and abandoned vehicles went from 183 to 214.

Requests in relation to dog attacks increased from 92 to 133.

Canine matters account for 36 per cent of all compliance-related tasks and include responding to strays, those off leashes and those barking.

In terms of enforcement last year, there were 67 companion animal fines that cover dog attacks, where the animal is not under effective control, and nine dog notices and orders that cover menacing and failure to microchip or register.

Those penalties are dwarfed by 1050 fines issued for illegal parking, with seven infringements involving bays designated for those with disabilities.

Calls in relation to parking compliance in 2021 totalled 329, up from 239 from November 2019 to October 2020.

To read more stories, download The Border Mail news app in the Apple Store or Google Play.

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: