By Brendan Rees
Dog walkers face being slugged a hefty $500 fine if they don’t scoop their pet’s poop, under a tough new law in the City of Casey.
The crackdown would also see owners hit with a $200 fine if they don’t have a poop-bag on hand.
Ben Smith, of Cranbourne East who walks his dog regularly at Casey Fields, said the fines were important but “excessive.”
“What message does it send when speeding fines cost less? It’s a bit steep,” he said.
The $500 fine is higher than if a motorist was caught speeding between 25-29 km/h over the limit ($436) or driving while using a mobile phone ($476).
Mr Smith said he would “definitely learn” his lesson even if he was slapped with a $100 fine.
“Rather than increasing the fines as a scare tactic they should start enforcing it more often at a lower fee.”
He questioned the council’s motive, adding “no-one seems to care” about cats roaming free. “Cats are responsible too. Why target dog owners?”
For the record, council’s fine for failing to secure an animal is only $300.
Cranbourne Dog Club’s Cindy McConville said while she agreed people should be penalised, the fine was “extreme” and “too hard to police.”
“It is over the top considering Casey is a dog area.”
She said council would be better off installing more bins and bag dispensers around parks.
“You would think every park should have a bin, but you don’t actually see many of them.”
“Sometimes you can also go to a bin and that’s chockers and hasn’t been emptied.”
“If a little country town in the middle of nowhere can supply that, I can’t see why Casey couldn’t,” she said.
Casey Mayor Geoff Ablett said the fine was in response to “strong community feedback.”
“People are fed up with pet owners not taking responsibility for picking up after their pets.”
“It’s common courtesy to the rest of the community.”
He said local laws officers would not be unreasonable, adding they would “exercise common sense” in enforcing the law.
He said the onus was on pet owners to take a bag, who would then “have nothing to worry about.”
“We’re working hard to create Australia’s most liveable city, and a big part of that is ensuring our public places can be enjoyed and are kept clean for everyone.”
“The laws will be enforced on complaint and by undertaking pro-active patrols.”
The $500 fine comes into effect on 1 January next year.
