Anna's Story

Dear Lord Mayor and Councillors,

I am writing in response to the proposed changes to the Pyrmont area in regards to Companion Animals being allowed On or Off leash.

I have been a resident of Pyrmont for the last 12 years, for the last 2 and a half years I have been a dog owner, and for the last 15 months, a first time mother.

The decision to buy a dog was not one I took lightly, and needless to say the decision to raise a baby in the city was also a big decision for my husband and I. However, we never knew how rich our life would become with these two inclusions, but the proposed changes will affect us deeply.

We decided to get a dog based on our proximity to so many parks, and the fact that Pyrmont / Jacksons Landing has been strongly advertised in both Real Estate campaigns as well as the Free Press as a dog friendly area.

For the past 2 and a half years I have met so many wonderful people in my local community, countless more than in the first 10 years I lived here. This is due solely to the fact that I own a dog, and socialize my dog each and every day.

Two of the most important parts of owning a dog are its training and its socialization. As a responsible dog owner we have ensured our dog received adequate training so it can too be a part of the community without fault. Socialization is an important factor of this training and essential for all dogs as well as humans in the community. A dog with very limited off-leash time can lead to behavioral problems especially when exercise time is a premium with many living in high density housing. The proposal to change and strictly limit off-leash areas in the Pyrmont community will potentially cause many problems for not only dog owners, but the general community, by creating dogs who receive less off leash time, less exercise and less quality off-leash socialization with BOTH dogs and humans.

Furthermore, as a new mother, I have also to consider my 15 month old daughter. Many may expect a new mother to fear dogs, and to wish for such strict structure to ensure my child has limited access to dogs in the community. This is quite the opposite. As a responsible dog owner I am none too aware of the fact that both dogs, children and their parents alike need access to properly socialized dogs to ensure their children can grow up learning how to interact successfully. A dog who is on leash versus a dog who is off leash will react quite differently to a child who is inexperienced with dogs. I firmly believe that if the proposed changes are made to the Pyrmont area, there will be a negative impact to the community through increased fear of dogs, who are in turn reacting unexpectedly due to their increased on leash time, and hence more isolation of the community at large.

Additionally, I also need to add how the decreased access to off-leash areas will greatly affect my access to public spaces. Because of the previously wonderful access to safe confined waterfront off-leash parks, I often double up my twice daily dog walks with my daughters 'outside time' in her pram. Now walking a dog plus a pram at the same time is no easy feat and I am limited as to where I can access safely as a pedestrian. The proposed changes to the off-leash parks will near negate my safe pedestrian access with dog and baby. Currently, I know and respect the rules that dogs are not permitted in the children's playground, this means I cannot take my daughter and dog to the playground together. So I instead take my daughter to a number of off-leash areas where I can freely and safely push the pram and my dog can actively socialize. As it has existed the current off-leash parks are safe pedestrian parks where i do not have to worry about pedestrian access with a pram, risk my dog or my pram being hit by a car, or worry about my dog being where it shouldn't whilst trying to watch my daughter. All of these issues will be ahead of me with the proposed changes to the off-leash parks. The three parks proposed off leash are either surrounded by stairs, accessed only by footpath via busy roads with limited pedestrian crossings, or close to road traffic, things which directly affect my current and existing amenity and gravely concern me with regards to the likelihood of my dog or my baby being in a pedestrian & motor vehicle accident.

I strongly implore you to further consult the community about the proposed changes to the off-leash areas for these good reasons as changes to the existing structure will greatly impact the amenity of more than just the dog-owner community.

Please see attached for photographs relating to my response.

Yours Sincerely

Anna Nichols