Imagine returning home to find a beloved and integral member of the family is missing without a trace. Fear, panic; the beginnings of grief wash over you in waves.  Exhausting all options that may have proved your worst fears unfounded, it’s time to contact the authorities. With mounting fear, you call the Waste Management Department of your local Queensland shire council. Yes! The Waste Management Department of local government, for in this instance, the family member is an animal.

Under current Queensland state legislation your best friend, companion, fur baby is of little more significance than food scraps, discarded packaging, soiled nappies; household cast-off’s. There are no mandated animal welfare practices. No standardisation of minimum acceptable standards of hygiene and cleanliness.  No standardised code of practice.

The current legislation is outdated and outmoded and fails to keep a pace with widely accepted, published research into the benefits of pet ownership and companionship. Broadly speaking, these are (v) :

General          

A significant reduction within one month of dog ownership of minor illness(es) and   ailments resulting in fewer doctors’ visits and an increase in general well-being.

You would suspect the opposite, however pet ownership promotes less                likelihood of allergies while increasing the immune systems in children brought up with animals.  The younger the age, the greater the benefit.

 Social              

Pet ownership creates relationships, links and bridges between individuals, groups, and the wider community.  Dogs are a natural conversation starter.  “What breed is he/she”.  Links with the wider community are forged during group exercise activities and socialisation classes, often preventing marginalisation of otherwise isolated individuals.

                        A German study showed children who owned pets enjoyed a greater number of friendships than a pet-less child. Additionally, pet-owning children developed greater levels of empathy than their non-pet-owning counterparts.

                        An Australian study demonstrated that the children of families with pets were far more likely to engage in physical play activity; engage in family exercise activities  (e.g. dog walking); rated physical play second highest preferred activity; and developed and increased sense of concern for community safety.
Mental             

Several acknowledged studies have attested to the higher levels of self-esteem in both adults and child who own pets. Dog ownership, another German study proved,  provided teenagers with a more positive outlook on life, reporting that “feelings of loneliness, restlessness, boredom, despair, depression and futility did not arise so often…”  The significance of these results are perhaps heightened in this era of radicalisation of disenfranchised young adults.

                      Australian research also demonstrated the link between pet ownership and  development of empathy, adding that children who do develop these higher levels of empathy and attachment also behave better towards others, human and animal alike and gain a better sense of care and responsibility than children who don’t own pets.

                        Reduction in the rate of occurrence of depression, and in the occurrence of depression a decrease in the severity and duration, particularly for cat owners.

                        Alzheimer’s patients experience fewer traumatic episodes when they have an animal in their home environment, particularly in the case of pets, but including all varieties of animals. Carers also experience a beneficial reduction of stress levels.

v Source: https://www.petpositives.com.au/pets-improve-lives/

One furred, feathered, skinned; two-legged, four-legged creature can provide so many and varied benefits. Benefits that amount to a significant positive fiscal impact, generating savings in Health costs through reduced levels of physical and mental requiring fewer visits, interventions, medications, and on-going management plans.

But put a foot outside your boundaries and beloved pet, beware, you’re out with the garbage in Queensland, mere days from execution.

Change is urgently needed and we propose those changes should include as a bare minimum:

1.    Standarisation of operational functionality of Pounds, including:

a.     Opening / Operating hours – formulate and institute a set minimum number of mandatory operational hours

 b.   Viewing Hours – formulate and institute a set minimum number of mandatory number of hours per week Pounds must allocate to allow visitors to view/inspect impounded animals

 c.     Extension of the minimum impoundment term from the current three (3) days to a minimum of ten (10) days.

 d.    Provide regular, scheduled access and visitation of/to Pound by qualified/registered individuals/organisations who provide re-education and enrichment programs to correct learnt animal behavioural problems and increase the likelihood of an affected animals rehoming prospects.

e.    Mandatory reporting schedule(s) and fields:

 i.    Daily logging of all interactions with impounded animal such as, but not limited to:

·         provision of food

·         provision of water

·         exercise time

·         socialisation/enrichment time

·         cleaning event

·         viewing event

·         etc, as applicable

 ii.    Weekly aggregated reporting for local management oversight.

 iii.    Quarterly reporting to of number, type, breed, sex, location, microchip status, duration of impoundment, impoundment outcome.

 iv.    Annual submission tabled in local government meeting for review and ratification detailing impoundment outcomes by category :

        a.     Rehoming/adoption

         b.    Rescue Organisation/Foster

         c.     Auction

         d.    Death

                           i.    Disease

                          ii.    Euthanasia

 detailing animal type, breed, sex, microchip status, duration of impoundment of each.

2.    A mandated set of standards, conditions and code of practices, inclusive of (but not limited to):

 a.     A standard of hygiene, hygienic practices; cleanliness and cleaning practices to be formulated, disseminated and adhered to as minimum codes of practice and subject to bi-annual inspection by a willing, qualified, independent body.

 b.    A standard of accommodation and environment as pertains to provision, containment and accessibility of and to water, food, bedding and exercise to be formulated, disseminated and adhered to as minimum codes of practice and subject to bi-annual inspection by a willing, qualified, independent body.

 c.     Mandatory provision of a dedicated page on Councils’ web presence &/or inclusion in Councils’ social media presence providing photograph and details – such as animal type/breed, colouring, markings, sex, microchip status, locality and date found – of the impounded pet thereby allowing pet owners reasonable opportunity to identify and effect retrieval with minimum delay.  This measure will assist in mitigating costs association with impounded to both local government and pet owner.

 i.    Where the local government agency does not presently have either a web or social media presence, one or both must be provisioned within thirty (30) days of legislation becoming mandate.

ii.    Pound web/social media presence to be maintained as current and accurate with updates to occur within a forty-eight (48) hour maximum of information or event.

 iii.    Will provide response to enquiry generated by postings on web/social media presence(s) within twenty-four (24) hours.

 iv.    Online portals to local government Pounds must:

·         be readily locatable and accessible;

·         must prominently display Pounds contact details and hours of operation

·         must provide an interactive method of contact, for example, an Email Us               button.

 

d.    Prior to exercising euthanasia, Pounds must make a considerable and concerted effort to place any unclaimed impounded animals in alternative, non-euthanising accommodation, to be achieved via:

 i.    Pound’s own rehoming efforts.  Allowing further extension of the mandated minimum impounded terms to provide a period of advertisement of an animal’s availability for adoption on Pounds web and/or social media presence(s).

 ii.    Re-accommodation with registered Animal Rescue organisations who provide foster, rehoming/adoption or extended living services.

3.    Local government play an active role in enforcing microchipping legislation/regulations, policing and applying fines where applicable to the sale/trade of un-microchipped pets, as falls within their lawful right to do so, via portals such as community markets, community newsletters, community newspapers, community board/wall notice, community social media group(s), etc.

4.   Mandatory scanning for microchips in deceased pets collected roadside or from personal properties and notification given to registered owners. The body should not be disposed of without owner’s consent.