Kurnell dog beach: residents up in arms over fines
YOU need to lead a horse to water or you’re going to get fined. Dog and horse owners are angry at a council cracking down on pets “off leash” at a popular Sydney beach. This includes Rhiannon Clarke who has been taking her pony to the beach for the last six years.
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DOG and horse owners have paid the price after a local council cracked down on pet owners who used on-leash areas at a popular beach in Sydney’s south.
A Sutherland Shire Council spokeswoman confirmed the council has fined one horse owner and two dog owners for letting their pets roam around the on-leash area of Silver Beach in Kurnell.
The fines are $310 for a horse and $289 for a dog.
“The prohibitions along Silver Beach have been in place for a number of years,” the spokeswoman said.
“We encourage all residents to enjoy an active life connected to nature and encourage dog owners to use the council’s designated on and off-leash areas, which are safe and controlled.”
There are designated off-leash areas at Silver Beach, but residents said they had been able to use the on-leash areas without penalty until recent months.
Rhiannon Clarke was among those fined for taking her shetland pony Tayla into the on-leash area.
“We got the pony six years ago and we were down here every summer without any problems,” Ms Clarke said.
“It has always been on-leash but we thought the rangers always turned a blind eye.”
Local dog behaviourist John Egliens of Paw Attitude said the beach was popular with pet owners because of the local atmosphere.
“I’ve met people that come from as far as Panania to use this beach,” Mr Egliens said.
“It’s one of the only off-leash beaches and it’s because of the attitude of the people around here — everybody’s animal friendly.”
Mr Egliens said having space for dogs and horses to roam was crucial for their behavioural development.
“Some dogs have lead aggression, where they are aggressive on their leads but as soon as you take it off they are fine,” Mr Egliens said.
“Training dogs out of that can take weeks and months, but in an environment like this dogs can learn it from other dogs in 20 minutes.”
Resident Debbie Rowley said local pet owners wanted to show the council they were proactive about having well-behaved animals.
“Most beaches aren’t very dog-friendly so this one is very rare,” Mrs Rowley said.
“It’s just not very big for the amount of people who come here so it would be useful to have the other (on-leash) side available.”
The council spokeswoman said the council was consulting with the community on the use of Silver Beach for on-leash activities.