Furious dog owners petition to Brisbane City Council

Dog owners are protesting against the current off leash zoning at a park in one of Brisbane’s most affluent suburbs.

FURIOUS dog owners have demanded their pets be allowed to run free in the grass rather than just a paved, busy thoroughfare at a park in Brisbane’s dress circle.

Hayley Chalmers said it was “ridiculous” dogs weren’t allowed to run off leash in the grass area at the Green Hill Reservoir Park in the affluent Brisbane suburb of Chapel Hill.

Dogs can only run free on a busy, unfenced ring road shared with cyclists, runners and even scooter riders — or face hefty fines.

Ms Chalmers has launched an online petition to Brisbane City Council calling for dogs to be allowed off leash in the grassed area, which has attracted 78 signatures.

Currently the dog off leash area at the Chapel Hill park is a ring road. The online petition asks for dogs to be allowed to be off leash in the grass area (circled in red by petition creator Hayley Chalmers). Picture: Hayley Chalmers

“The big grass area section of the reservoir is not listed as part of the off leash section, which is quite ridiculous, considering the rest of the park is just plain road,” she said.

Ms Chalmers said the only dog off leash approved area was a ring road and a “major thoroughfare” for cyclists and runners, claiming it was unsafe during peak times.

“It’s not fenced off from the rest of the park so it’s really hard to keep dogs who just want to go run away in the grass,” she said.

She told The Courier-Mail that Brisbane City Council was cracking down on unleashed dogs, and issuing big fines to owners who let their dogs stray off the “road”.

“Brisbane City Council have definitely been skulking around monitoring that area,” she said.

A Brisbane City Council spokesman said the council had received two complaints and issued two fines for unregistered dogs, one fine for a dog not being on a leash, and one warning notice to a dog owner in the past twelve months.

Council on the spot fines. Picture: Hayley Chalmers

Despite signs threatening up to $700 on-the-spot fines the spokesman insisted that “council does not issue $700 fines.”

“The penalty for not restraining your dog is $266,” he said.

Ms Chalmers’ petition calls for the dog off leash zone to be fenced and that Brisbane City Council should add the grassed area to the zone.

Social media lit up in support of adding the grassed area to the dog off leash zone, with one woman saying it was “perfect for letting dogs run without interrupting runners and kids.”

He said the council had received an e-petition from about Green Hill Reservoir Park.

“The e-petition will be carefully considered and a full response will be provided after the petition closes,” he said.

Green Hill Reservoir Park. Picture: Hayley Chalmers