One Islander wrote:
I walk regularly around McMillan Strait and often see dogs off the leash. I used to suggest to the owners that they should be on a leash and always received a reply such as 'none of your business' so I stopped, thinking that I was making a fool of myself and was turning into a nagging old so and so. That has now changed and I will be pleased to refer to your article and try to embarrass them as much as possible.
Another correspondent is concerned that care is taken to have real evidence before accusing any owners or dogs unjustly:
Koalas can and do cause injuries, puncture marks, bite marks etc. to other koalas. Koalas will die, injuries can be post mortem after other causes of death like natural causes, age, fights, falls or disease, cars or ….? Who knows, a dead koala is food for scavengers. Dogs are certainly run on crown land unrestrained but, in all my time here, I have never encountered an unsupervised dog. I’ve seen a few that needed leads because of owner lack of control. Yes, the dog catcher has been on the Island and, according to [a neighbour], has warned him after some anonymous resident reported his lovely old dog for hanging about unrestrained. Whoever it was would know this dog is not a koala killer.
Webmaster's note:
This is a real issue and care does need to be taken to make sure that the Island is a safe place for our koalas and our dogs. As a responsible dog owner and custodian of land where several koalas live, I'm very aware of the need to make sure that our koalas are kept safe and that our dogs are under control and not vulnerable to criticism (justified or unjustified)! This is a timely reminder.
Koalas can and do cause injuries, puncture marks, bite marks etc. to other koalas. Koalas will die, injuries can be post mortem after other causes of death like natural causes, age, fights, falls or disease, cars or ….? Who knows, a dead koala is food for scavengers. Dogs are certainly run on crown land unrestrained but, in all my time here, I have never encountered an unsupervised dog. I’ve seen a few that needed leads because of owner lack of control. Yes, the dog catcher has been on the Island and, according to [a neighbour], has warned him after some anonymous resident reported his lovely old dog for hanging about unrestrained. Whoever it was would know this dog is not a koala killer.
Webmaster's note:
This is a real issue and care does need to be taken to make sure that the Island is a safe place for our koalas and our dogs. As a responsible dog owner and custodian of land where several koalas live, I'm very aware of the need to make sure that our koalas are kept safe and that our dogs are under control and not vulnerable to criticism (justified or unjustified)! This is a timely reminder.
