Serving Mosman encourages responsible dog and companion animal ownership
ABOVE: Michael Randall (right) meeting four legged friends and their owners at a local park.
Our household welcomed the addition of a four legged friend in the form of a western highlander terrier a little over 2 years ago. Being a small dog we aptly named him Max, short for Maximus - SMALL dog, HUGE personality, very independent, and now the fifth loving member of our family.
Recently, whilst out and about door knocking, I met a giant fluffy old grandpa of a dog that spent most of his days serving the Mosman community as a companion dog to seniors and providing emotional support to returning veterans and those who have suffered trauma. It’s wonderful to see not only humans but dogs helping our friends, family and greater community. Dogs really do contribute to our society.
Owning a dog comes with responsibility. One particular responsibility I like is yoga, doggie yoga. Yes, you get to learn yoga! And I’m great at it now. It starts with bending over and picking up the dog poo…. known as the downward dog position! Mosman council make this part of the job a little easier by providing doggie doo doo bags and bins at more locations to help ensure that we all do our part to keep Mosman beautiful for everyone.
Dogs are social animals and are great at getting us humans out and about and more social ourselves. A walk to the local park with fido soon has them sniffing and socialising with other dogs with owners soon striking conversations with other owners as their doggies break the ice - what better way to bring community together? It makes for great exercise not only for dog but entire family. If your dog loves a swim, be sure to take them to Sirius Cove with off leash access all day on weekdays, and before 9am and after 4pm on Saturday, Sunday and public holidays. Responsible dog owners respect the need to protect and kept safe other beach and park users, including other dogs, by following Council signage regarding leashed and off leashed areas. A recent petition requesting dogs be allowed off leash during the winter months at Balmoral South would not be supported by Serving Mosman due to the intense use of the area by both local residents and visitors.
Being time poor, and who isn’t these days, some of us enlist the help of dog walkers to ensure our furry friends get the exercise they need - be sure to check that your dog walker can effectively control all the dogs under their care - and that means being able to do doggie yoga multiple times! As a dog owner, I can think of nothing worse than a neighbour’s child stepping on a doggy doo doo in the park - it’s up to us to do the right thing by our pets.
by Michael Randall
