Pet owner fined $806 over simple mistake
A poodle owner has been fined $806 over a 10-metre walk to the beach.
John, who lives a few minutes away from Budd's Beach in Queensland, took his van down to the water's edge and walked roughly 10 metres across the shoreline with his dog Emma by his side.
Little did he know that this common act would cost him $806 under new regulations that came into effect on July 31, where pet owners can get fined for not having a pet on a leash or not maintaining proper control of the leash while in public.
"I thought that it was very unfair ...I was only traveling from my van to the water," John told A Current Affair.
"I wasn't wandering along the footpath or in public areas or anywhere.
"I was just passing, travelling from the car to the water... I really didn't think that I was doing anything wrong."
John was fined for “failure to exercise effective control of a non regulated dog in a public place”.
There are signs further up Budd's Beach that state dogs must be on a leash at all times, and John said he does use a lead when he takes his pup out for a walk.
The massive fines are a part of the Queensland government's crackdown on dog attacks, with fines of up to $112,910 for more serious dog attack offences as well as up to three years imprisonment.
“Changes were made to the AMCDA due to a rise in complaints about aggressive dogs and dog attacks, and the large number of dog-attack victims admitted to hospital each year in Queensland,” the Queensland government said in a statement online.
Another Queensland resident has also been fined under the same laws for having her dog's lead under her foot during a coffee break.
“It’s wrong, we are trying to survive and it is another stress I didn’t need,” the resident said.
“She was on a lead and collar and she was behaving properly."
Images: Nine