Caulfield South family vows to keep fighting greyhound leash laws
A Caulfield South family forced to stump up $8000 for letting their pet greyhound roam free at a popular off-leash dog park has vowed to keep fighting against the “outdated and unfair” law. And the RSPCA agrees.
Inner South
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Owners of a “docile and gentle” greyhound hit with $8000 in fees for letting their hound roam free in an off-leash zone have vowed to fight for fairer leash laws for the breed.
Denny Mileikowski was slapped with two fines totalling $500 for walking his daughter Lior’s rescued greyhound Willow off-leash in a designated off-leash area at Princes Park in Caulfield South last year.
But Ms Mileikowski said when the family tried to fight the fines, Glen Eira Council instead took them to court over eight charges.
“We asked for a review of the fines, we tried to have meetings with the mayor but in the end the council wasn’t willing to work with us,” she said.
Mr Mileikowski was on Monday sentenced to a 12-month good behaviour bond which stipulates he must keep Willow on a leash while in public.
He was also ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of $7990.
“When it happened we were really upset — it seems ridiculous to have to pay $8000 for walking our dog off-lead in an off-lead area,” Ms Mileikowski said.
“But we’ve had huge support online and today we woke up ready to keep fighting.
“We’ve got a real fire in our bellies.”
The family’s GoFundMe page, set up help cover the cost of their legal defence, has raised about $4200, but Ms Mileikowski said after Monday’s ruling, the family were still out of pocket about $10,000.
“None of us have a job right now because of COVID but we’ve got time to pay it off and we’ll save and keep raising money,” she said.
“Our fight now is really about getting these outdated laws changed because it’s simply not fair to tarnish an entire breed.”
Under state government laws — enforced by local councils — greyhounds must be on a leash when in public places, including off-leash areas.
Local councils can choose to create designated off-leash areas for greyhounds but it must be fully fenced and other breeds prohibited from being there at the same time.
Glen Eira currently only has one fenced dog park, Pawfield Park, on the western side of Caulfield Racecourse.
The closest places where Ms Mileikowski could legally exercise Willow off-leash are in Park Orchards and Cranbourne — both about 45 minutes’ drive away.
Ms Mileikowski said greyhound leash laws were too harsh on “gentle and docile” greyhounds like Willow, who has been assessed by the Delta Society as suitable to be a therapy dog and regularly visits psychiatric and geriatric wards.
“Each greyhound is so individual it’s unfair to put them all in the same basket and that’s what this law does,” she said.
Ms Mileikowski said she would ramp up her advocacy for ‘Willow’s Law’ and was planning to lobby government for reform of the breed-specific legislation.
RSPCA Victoria chief executive Liz Walker said dogs should be assessed on an individual basis and not subject to breed-specific legislation.
“Dog attacks can occur for a variety of reasons, and breed alone is not a reliable predictor of aggressive behaviour,” she said.
“Each individual dog should be assessed based on their behaviour.’
Meanwhile, Greyhound Adoption Program (GAP) guidelines state it was important greyhounds were kept on a leash at all times — including in fenced, off-leash parks — because they are sighthounds which can run at speeds in excess of 60km/h.
“Many have poor recall skills and often won’t come when called if they see something that takes their attention,” the website says.
“This means that there is a high risk of greyhounds being seriously injured or killed by running out in front of cars, into trees or fences, or injuring themselves on sticks or poles.”
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