Page 3436 - Week 11 - Thursday, 15 November 2007
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undergone training approved by the dog and cat management board have been exempt from the muzzling requirement. In both states greyhounds which have not undergone a training program are still required by law to be muzzled in a public place. Similarly, the ACT’s existing law requiring greyhounds which have not undergone such training to be muzzled in a public place will remain unchanged. I will repeat that because I know that is of some concern to some of the commentariat: the ACT’s existing law requires that greyhounds which have not undergone such training must be muzzled in a public place. Those laws will remain unchanged.
The Canberra Greyhound Adoption Service wrote to me requesting that I relax the muzzling requirement for dogs which have undergone the CGAS’s own foster care and training program. I undertook to review the greyhound muzzling requirement after taking advice on this matter from my department. Domestic Animal Services was consulted and advised that, provided a greyhound and its keeper have passed a suitable socialisation and training course, there would be no objection to allowing the muzzling requirement to be relaxed for these greyhounds. It is proposed that the greyhound training service provided by CGAS will be evaluated for its suitability as a socialisation training course, along with other similar courses available.
A keeper of a greyhound would apply to the registrar of Domestic Animal Services to gain exemption from the muzzling requirement. Successful applicants for the exemption would be issued with a certificate, and the exemption from muzzling would be recorded on the ACT’s existing dog registration database. There are no other provisions in the act or the regulation which prevent greyhounds from being kept as companion animals in the same way as other dogs.
This amendment encourages greyhound owners to be responsible dog owners, so it is in keeping with the government’s overall objectives. Sometimes when a greyhound has finished its racing career the owners of those greyhounds are faced with one of two choices: to continue to have that dog muzzled for the rest of its life or to put the animal down. I do not think either is an acceptable alternative. As long as these dogs have been through the correct socialisation program and training regime, they should be treated as any other dog in our society. I commend this amendment to the Assembly.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (11.44): This is a commonsense amendment and thus the Greens will be supporting it.
MR PRATT (Brindabella) (11.44): We have no problem with this amendment.
New clause 13A agreed to.
Clauses 14 to 22, by leave, taken together and agreed to.
Clause 23.
DR FOSKEY (Molonglo) (11.45): I seek leave to move amendments Nos 2 and 3 circulated in my name together.
Leave granted.
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