Each Wednesday in the Mackay Area, the Midweek News local newspaper publication lists the statistics provided by the MRC Pound that week stating the number of animals impounded, rehomed and euthanized to date this year. With better opportunity allowed to owners reclaiming their pets, increased effort put into rehoming, and greater facility allowed to new owners to foster/adopt a pet from the pound, the 'euthanasia' statistic, so far as it includes healthy, rehomable animals should be reduced to nil. Healthy, rehomable dogs and cats are presently being killed and there is NO reasonable excuse!

We the undersigned concerned citizens, other animal welfare advocates and supporters ask the Mackay Regional Council (MRC) to:-

1. Explain why the Pound at Mt Bassett, Mackay operated by the MRC cannot be made a 'no kill pound' by overhauling the present practices of the pound staff to strive for an improved standard of care, animal welfare management and better outcomes for every animal impounded in the Mackay Region. The word 'euthanasia' is being misused to soften the impact the senseless killing of impounded animals would have otherwise on the community. The Oxford English Dictionary defines; 'Full Definition of EUTHANASIA (as). : the act or practice of killing or permitting the death of hopelessly sick or injured individuals (as persons or domestic animals) in a relatively painless way for reasons of mercy.' The inexcusable killing of rehomable animals must be ceased!

2. Explain why the practice of simply returning a dog found wandering at large under s23 and s 21 (2) (a) of the Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011 as amended (hereafter Local Laws) to its readily ascertainable owner on payment of any nominal fine, by the authorized person is not done instead of impounding the dog under s 24 Local Laws. This practice, wherever possible, making every available endeavour to locate the owner or responsible person, must be introduced and followed rather than impounding dogs found wandering at large straight away. To impound such an animal automatically must just be regarded as revenue raising by the council.

3. Explain why an unreasonably short time period for a registered owner or responsible person is allowed for in the 'prescribed period' in the Schedule Dictionary of the Local Laws for that person to pay all release fees and other fines in full, regardless of the person's ability to pay in full, and reclaim an animal before Council takes ownership of that animal. The 3 days allowed for unregistered dogs and 5 days allowed for registered dogs must be extended to 14 days after a Notice of Impounding is given to that person. Further, that payment plans for fees and fines required to be paid in order to gain release of that dog or cat, must be introduced.

4. Explain why the pound only holds an impounded animal for 3-5 days for its owner to claim it prior to exercising control of that animal, when finders of lost animals in the public are obliged to take all reasonable steps to locate an animals owner for 2 weeks prior to assuming ownership. As an accepted community practice, this rule of thumb works very well in avoiding rehoming of animals whose owners later come forward. The Local Laws need to be amended at the Schedule Dictionary definition of "prescribed period" to stipulate that an animal be held whilst every reasonable effort to locate its owner or responsible person for a period of 14 days prior to taking any steps to rehome that animal, to reflect the community accepted practice. The pound must be compelled to do the same!

5. Explain why better efforts to rehome an animal aren't made once that animal's ownership is lawfully claimed by the pound. The present Pound Search website must be completely upgraded to enable potential foster or adoptive home providers to search all available information the pound has on that animal, including, but not limited to; actual date from which the animal is legally available for rehoming, including 3 different photos of each impounded animal, a description where possible from staff observations of the temperament of each animal, an approximate age of the animal and adoption costs of each animal together with contact details for Mackay's rescue organizations for would-be foster carers! This information must be presented online in an easily accessible format for members of the public to use at all hours! The visiting hours at the pound must be extended to 9-5 Monday to Saturday and 11.30-1.30 Sundays to enable the maximum number of potential home providers to view and consider the impounded animals!

6. Explain why the authorized persons at the pound exercise the discretion to destroy an impounded animal so readily under s32(1)(b)(iii) of the Local Laws. This discretion must be used as a last resort and not for mere convenience such as overcrowding. Build better and bigger premises improving upon the exiting outdated and outgrown building at Strickland Rd., Mt Bassett,(in line with increase in MRC resident numbers, hence pet dogs and cats numbers). The revenue sourced from such a greater number of dog & cat registration fees and ratepayers in the area generally is clearly not being directed towards improved animal management services in the MRC area.

7. Explain why the authorized persons at the pound use the word 'euthanized' to classify the number of animals described in the local press each week ('The Mid Week News') as the total destroyed to date when most of those animals were healthy, non-aggressive and rehomable. The pound must cease this abuse of the word and provide actual statistics in the local press each week in honest and accountable terms of how many animals were killed each week and what number of those were rehomable if better efforts outlined above had been made! Say it like it is! The governing legislation (the Local Laws) refers to the 'destruction' of an animal. The pound must also. Euthanasia implies a kind of mercy or for palliative reasons termination of the animal's life, when this is not the case.

8. Explain which 'Public Office' the Register of Impounded Animals under s 33 of the Local Laws in the MRC pound is held at. The record explaining disposal details of all impounded animals under s 33(2)(I) must be made available on a better pound website demanded under point 5. of this petition above.

9. Explain why Destruction Orders under s 30 of the Local Laws are not being given with 14 days notice to responsible persons in all cases where destruction of a dog has been decided upon. Such notices must be displayed on the new MRC Pound website and in public view at the pound office. These notices must be given as prescribed by the Local Laws and 'responsible person' definition be widened to include MARS, RSPCA and ARQ. At the expiration of the prescribed 14 days, the animal must be offered free to the rescue groups, then, if not taken, the public. The pound has the authority under the Local Laws governing disposal of animals to give them away. Use it! There is no excuse to be compelled to destroy a rehomable animal.