Lesley – Paws4Play

Socialising Dogs

December 1, 2021

Socialising Dogs

It is a popular misconception that 'socialising' of dogs primarily involves and indeed 'requires' interaction with other dogs. Rather, animal behaviourists and research tells us that socialising dogs should be fundamentally about exposing dogs to everyday living environments and events. These include footpaths and trails, traffic, busy community precincts such…

Responsible Pet Ownership

November 23, 2021

Responsible Pet Ownership – What Does it Mean?

Catchall phrases such as 'Responsible Pet Ownership' is likely to have little impact in terms of enhancing the public's understanding of dog owner obligations when in a public place. The term assumes everyone holds to the same definition of the term. Being a responsible pet owner has many facets -…

Planning for Dog Parks

November 23, 2021

Planning for Dog Parks is Essential

Historically off-leash areas have not been subject to the same planning considerations as have most other public assets such as playgrounds, childcare centres, sport and recreation facilities, arts centres and so on. Many land management agencies now recognise the need to accommodate space for dogs off the leash in consideration…

Town Planning

October 23, 2021

Pets and apartment living

Most pet owners are likely to live in free-standing dwellings, however it is estimated by Animal Medicines Australia research that 39% of people who live in apartments or units are still likely to own a pet. A US study found similar results with 25-30% of apartment dwellers owning pets. These…