Hervey Bay TikTok user’s council dogfight goes viral

A riled up dog owner and TikTok user says he will fight a regional council over a fine worth thousands of dollars because of his front fence. Watch the video.

A Hervey Bay man's stoush with the Fraser Coast Regional Council has gone viral.

A Hervey Bay man has become a TikTok sensation after venting his frustration with a hefty fine he copped from the council in regards to his two German shepherds.

The man, who asked not to be named, spoke to this publication on Friday after videos on his account The Angry Mechanic about the issue garnered hundreds of thousands of views.

He said the situation began when his dogs repeatedly escaped his Hervey Bay home.

After setting up cameras to investigate, he realised the dogs had figured out they could push on the electric gate to trigger a safety mechanism that would open the gates.

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He said his dogs were not aggressive and there was no suggestion they had caused any issues.

Fraser Coast Regional Council issued a fine and he discussed it with compliance officers, he said.

Two and a half months later, after he secured the fence, another fine arrived, this time for $718.

He said it was because the dogs could still “protrude” from the fence and that council demanded he added another two feet to the height of the fence.

@theangrymechanic888 #karen #herveybay #frasercoast #council #dogsoftiktok #7news #9news #wtf #how #why #stupid #foryou #foryourpage ♬ original sound - The Angry Mechanic 🛠

A letter from the council informed him he had until February 27 to rectify the issue or he could face a fine in excess of $7000, he said.

The man said he thought the issue had been resolved and felt singled out.

He also provided footage of the dogs triggering the fence mechanism to show how they were escaping, but was then accused of manipulating the video because dates did not line up. The man said he would not be changing his fencing as his dogs were now secure.

“I’m not going to lock my dogs in a prison,” he said.

A TikTok user by the name of The Angry Mechanic has gone viral with his videos about a dispute with council over his front fence.

“I admitted my dogs got out and I took responsibility and fixed it.”

He said he was willing to challenge the council in court over the fines.

“I’m willing to take them on for everyone in Hervey Bay who has a dog that greets people at their front gate,” he said.

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Council chief executive Ken Diehm said that it was ridiculous to suggest that the council issued a fine because a dog could see through the fence.

“The fine was issued for not complying with a notice to stop the dog from jumping the fence,” he said.

“There have been a number of serious dog attacks in our local government area, including a death and other attacks which have resulted in permanent disfigurement.

“I couldn’t care if they put a window in their fence – as long as the dog is contained so it cannot escape and attack someone.”