Treats reward responsible dogs and owners

Published on 30 April 2020

Responsible pooches who walk their owners on-lead are being rewarded by the City of Hobart in the yummiest of ways.

A favourite canine treat – the one that dogs “go wacko for” – is being handed out by City officers patrolling popular dog-walking areas. And the response from pets is as expected.

“It’s great – friendly hoomans in uniforms give me treats when I go walkies just because I keep my favourite hooman at the end of my lead. Life is pawsome!” one Good Boy woofed.

Lord Mayor Anna Reynolds said some popular locations – such as Knocklofty, Queens Domain and the Rivulet parks – had experienced a surge in the number of people and four-legged companions frequenting paths and open areas.

“Pets everywhere are rejoicing at the amount of extra time their owners are spending at home at the moment,” Cr Reynolds said. “We also know there are more people out and about getting much-needed fresh air and exercise in our parks and reserves, and many are taking their pets with them,” Cr Reynolds said.

“These spaces are for everyone to share and enjoy and we all need to be a little more mindful at the moment about giving each other space and consideration.

“While most people are doing the right thing already, the City has been receiving complaints about inconsiderate use of public spaces and, in particular, dogs being walked off-lead.

“Keeping dogs on on-lead in public places is important for a number of reasons, including the safety and enjoyment of other park users.”

She said officers, who had been redeployed from parking enforcement, were providing advice to dog owners who were not following the on-lead rules.

“If you’d like to give your dog a run off-lead, we have 25 locations where they can do that and these are listed on our website.”

Dogs are also reminded to make sure their owners to pick up after them and place any waste in the bins provided.

Parks and Recreation Chair Alderman Jeff Briscoe said all City-managed parks and reserves remained open for exercise.

“It’s important that people can get outside and enjoy our parks and reserves throughout this period of isolation,” he said. “Our maintenance crews are working hard to keep our public spaces enjoyable for everyone.”

To find the nearest dog off-lead exercise area, use the find a park search feature on the City of Hobart’s website and select “dogs allowed off lead” in the features drop-down box.