A business-man’s best friend

First they were banned, then they were allowed, then they were banned again. Could the council do another dog leg on dog laws?

The Marlborough district has had a storied history with man’s best friend, following a town centre ban in Blenheim in the late 1990s and years of conflicting policies thereafter.

Marlborough district councillor Jamie Arbuckle said he arrived at the council in 2010 to a contradiction – the dog control bylaw prohibited dogs from the town centre and the dog policy allowed them.

‘‘I don’t know how it got out of kilter, that the policy and bylaws were conflicting,’’ said Arbuckle, who chairs the animal control sub-committee.

‘‘The main thing was the signage said no dogs and people generally were abiding by the signage.’’

On October 1, 2012, the council adopted a new policy and bylaw – a 35-page document – which set the record straight.

Dogs were not allowed in the Blenheim central business district.

The bylaw change followed contentious submissions from more than 300 people, including 22 who appeared in person over two days of hearings.

Since the official dog ban was introduced in 2012, the council has had 10 complaints involving dogs in prohibited areas, and 15 infringements. Nine of these related to a dog in the prohibited town centre area, incurring a $300 fine.

All nine went to court because the fines were not paid and in two instances the owner did not have to pay the fine. Blenheim dog owner Deborah Marett often walks her dog Billy along the Taylor River and thinks the town centre is not a place for dogs.

‘‘I don’t see any need for them to go into town, unless you are impaired in some way,’’ Marett said.

Back at the beginning of 2012, The Marlborough Express reported that any mention of dog policy and bylaw ‘‘usually creates a slew of online discussion and letters to the editor’’. More than seven years on, the same is still true. A Marlborough Express article published last week about livening central Blenheim prompted renewed calls for dogs to be allowed in the town centre.

The 65th Black Hawk National Dog Show will take place in Blenheim October 2-5. The show will feature 1400 dogs from more than 120 breeds, competing at A&P Park, the Stadium 2000 and the Marlborough Convention Centre.

The council plans to lift the town’s dog control bylaw during the show, allowing dogs in town for the first time in a dog’s life. Arbuckle said council would use the show as a trial run for another bylaw change, measuring its success on the number of public complaints. ‘‘Any feedback will be recorded and will feed into future bylaw review.’’

One of the main attractions for Blenheim’s dog owners is being able to take their dog to a cafe but cafes are divided on the idea.

Market Street Cafe owner Dianne Grant said she would not enjoy having dogs outside her business – they would frighten her.

‘‘Only because I’m afraid of big dogs, I wouldn’t like to have to walk past a big dog outside the cafe or a shop,’’ Grant said.

‘‘I wouldn’t sit next to a big dog. ‘‘With little kids, you never know