Cairns dog attacks: Paw Patrol set for $500,000 budget boost amid fine spike threat

An extra four stick-swinging animal management officers have been flagged to bolster Cairns Regional Council’s workforce after a shocking spike in attacks on people and pets.

AN EXTRA four stick-swinging animal management officers have been flagged to bolster Cairns Regional Council’s workforce after a shocking spike in attacks on people and pets.

Council officers dealt with 684 dog attack reports in 2020-21 – up from 507 the previous year – with fines also increasing by 14 per cent over the same period.

How many attacks went unreported is anyone’s guess.

New statistics reveal there was a 42 per cent spike in barking complaints over the same period but a surprising 21 per cent reduction in wandering dog complaints.

Division 9 Cairns regional councillor Brett Olds is pushing for a $500,000 increase in the animal management budget to go towards the Paw Patrol program to put on new officers to deal with problem dogs on the loose. Picture: Romy Bullerjahn

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The concerning numbers have prompted a $500,000 boost to the animal management budget for 2021-22, although how that money will be spent is still up for debate.

Members of the council’s Paw Patrol working group, including councillors Cathy Zeiger, Kristy Vallely, Rhonda Coghlan and Brett Olds, are confident the rest of the council will back their calls to use the money to hire dedicated staff to keep watch over dog attack hot spots.

Cr Zeiger said current staffing levels had clearly failed to make a dent in the problem.

There were 81 dog attacks last month alone, and the rising numbers show no sign of slowing down.

Dog attacks are on the rise as Cairns Regional Council decides how to spend $500,000 extra on animal management.

“We need extra staff members,” she said.

“At the moment, we might only have one or two people working on weekends and they cover the whole area from Mirriwinni past Palm Cove to Ellis Beach.

“That’s not OK.”

Cr Olds’ son Tristan, then-13, was injured when he rescued his puppy from a vicious staffy on Kewarra Beach in 2019.

He suffered a cut lip, scratches to his thighs and belly and a bleeding cheek, while his puppy Mya received multiple lacerations.

Cr Olds said the “Paw Patrol Version 1” had not worked.

“Last time we hired outside contractors and they weren’t really trained up – they didn’t have the personality skills you need in a job like this,” he said.

“Our working group believes we need four people to make it work.

“They won’t be sitting in airconditioned offices on Spence St, they will be sitting in airconditioned vehicles out and about.”

The $500,000 budget allocation is expected to also fund a new vehicle and equipment, meaning ongoing costs will be reduced for ongoing years.

However, Cr Olds said it was pointless unless officers were given the power to go hard and issue fines wherever needed.

“We need to get the big stick out and whack a few people with it,” he said.

“You can’t just keep threatening people and expect behaviour to change.”

Originally published as Cairns dog attacks: Paw Patrol set for $500,000 budget boost amid fine spike threat