TIME TO GIVE PETS A BREAK
The ban on our furry friends from some properties makes little sense
LIKE a dog with a bone, those pet owners won’t give up.
They want to live and holiday with their animals and they will have their way no matter what. And I support them. This week, like many parents of school-aged children, I am on holidays.
Nothing unusual about that, except that we’ve taken the family dog with us.
Her name is Lola and she is an indulged, small fluffy dog who belongs to my mum.
My four-legged half-sister is treated better than royalty and where my mum goes she goes.
So we booked a self-contained beach house on the Sunshine Coast, one of many pet-friendly properties available online.
It doesn’t feel like the whole family is on holidays if our four-legged friend isn’t there.
And judging by the number of pet-friendly houses I found online, I reckon we’re not alone.
I’ve never understood why apartment body corporate committees would deny themselves the chance to service this lucrative market.
Over the years there have been some David and Goliath battles between pet owners and body corporate committees. Last financial year the Body Corporate Commis-
My four-legged half-sister is treated better than royalty and where my mum goes she goes
sioner’s office dealt with 95 pet disputes and 126 the year before.
I’m not sure what happens when certain people join a body corporate … they go on a power trip of scrooge proportions, or perhaps they were always mean and petty
One minute they’re normal, they next they’re charting the comings and goings of everyone in the building.
Unit 3 left the sun lounger wonky; Unit 4 let their child ride his skateboard in the basement carpark; Unit 6 made too much noise on the weekend; Unit 10 has hung an ornament on their veranda.
And on it goes. Body corporate committees seem to veer towards the petty when given half a chance.
And in my mind the war on pets is petty.
Sure, not all dogs are suited to apartment living.
But if it’s a small fluffy that we’re discussing, what’s the big deal?
I’m constantly amazed that my noisy, unruly, energetic seven-year-old son is allowed to stay in buildings that ban dogs and cats, who I’m sure would behave much better.
What’s the big deal?
If animal owners are respectful and abide by the rules, I really don’t understand why they can’t keep their pets in units.
And neither, apparently, does the law.
A string of rulings by the Body Corporate Commissioner, in favour of pet owners, has found blanket bans against animals in unit complexes are “invalid” and “unreasonable” and IMHO stupid.
The precedent has encouraged pet owners to ignore or challenge committees that refuse to allow pets.
Lawyer John Punch told this paper last week that bodies corporate should act quickly to impose “reasonable” conditions on pet ownership.
He says bodies corporate should draft rules conditioning noise and calling for an official application process.
Ultimately, if there’s going to be a problem it will be around noise or droppings … or fleas.
To which I return to my earlier argument. These are the same bodies corporate that allow feral children access, and dare I say it, some feral adults.
I’d sooner have a cute, fluffy dog next to me on the sunlounger than some of the grotesque humans and their children I’ve met.