Resi Tomat, who was running a dog-care centre until last November when the council stepped in and demanded a planning permit to operate the business, attended a community forum to voice her views.

Objections had been lodged over the proposed "dog hotel" which catered for four dogs at a time in Ms Tomat's house.

Ms Tomat chose to discuss the matter on the sidelines of the forum with the council's planning and corporate director Greg Pinkerton.

"Tonight was a step in the right direction - we have been promised a meeting in the near future to clear up this issue," Ms Tomat said.

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Indigo Shire's mayor Bernard Gaffney told The Border Mail Ms Tomat's application case would "definitely be discussed openly at the August or September council meeting".

Ms Tomat was armed with a petition with more than 11,000 signatures. At time of publication, there were 147 from Beechworth, 287 elsewhere in Indigo Shire, 578 more within a 50 kilometre radius and 3537 from within a three-hour drive. Earlier Ms Tomat said she had been finding the saga so stressful she had engaged a lawyer to represent her in dealings with the council.

"They don't come cheap but sometimes you just have to dig deep into your pockets," she said.

"We can't operate the business, I have been grateful that most of my clients are supporting me by getting us to do dog walking - I can't have dogs staying on my property, but I can walk them here.

"But we're not getting the same income.

"We were hoping to go to the July council meeting but I guess we will hopefully be heard at the August meeting.

"There were six objections - we asked the shire who objected. We don't know who the objections came from except for two - one has been retracted, one is still ongoing, the four others, I don't know."

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