One of Choice’s editorial guidelines is 'Accuracy’. Choice could be sued for publishing a post accusing the Sovereign Citizens group of attacking and killing police and others.
Apologies, have correct the link. This Griffith University page also provides some useful background:
and this one:
Basically they are individuals who think that they sit outside the law and the law/decisions governments make doesn’t apply to them.
2 Likes
I have no objection to well-behaved dogs in most places I go, but the recent sight of a small dog being pushed around the shop in a shopping trolley was a bit much for my sense of hygiene to cope with.
4 Likes
So who do I sue if I slip on animal matter, or urine that is peed on the floor, this is the issue I think Bunnings is going to have, by allowing pets in the store. Owner or Store ?
4 Likes
The store, they allowed the perp in and are generally required to not have hazards in their shop. It is the same as a spill from another source (eg paint) it is Bunnies responsibility to clean up and to stop you stepping in it until they do.
Is the real problem one of a risk to falling or the unpleasantness of excreta?
People have very varied reactions to such messes. Somehow parents manage to turn off their revulsion or the human race would have become extinct. I know that when you go to a hardware store you are not volunteering to deal with that and nor should you have to. However unpleasant it isn’t quite the end of the world either, those who toilet train pets (as well as babies) also survive their failures.
The world is full of dangerous situations, including hardware stores that don’t allow dogs.
3 Likes
Article regarding different airlines and their acceptance of dogs as passengers, and training standards.
3 Likes
Year One in NSW schools teaches a unit on rights and responsibilities. With rights come responsibilities. That lot conveniently forgets all that!
3 Likes
I am with you! I live between a city and a tourist town and have 2 large dogs. My husband takes the dogs for a beach walk and then has a coffee at a local cafe early every morning and is always considerate of others. My two are accredited therapy dogs, meaning I can volunteer with them in hospitals, old age homes etc. I know I can trust them but no way would I take them everywhere I go. The whole Bunnings thing drives me nuts. I may be wrong but had always assumed that it started as a lot of tradies had dogs and didn’t want to leave them in the back of a hot ute or whatever but it has become ridiculous.
In the tourist town I see people come in to the pharmacy with small dogs and no one blinks an eye. I of course always tie my dogs outside if I am on my way home from their walk. The pharmacy is on the way. To me, even the small dogs shouldn’t be in there. People with all sorts of medical situations and requirements are also in there.They are even a trip hazard. Dogs that visit hospitals are required to have regular blood tests etc.
I am all for the world being more dog friendly but not at the expense of people who are afraid of dogs, allergic or whatever.
I do understand that some people may not appear to have a disability but require an assistance dog. My voluntary work was mainly in a mental health hospital and there are patients who have their own dog in hospital with them but they are working dogs and are not to be interacting with mine or other patients. However, if they aren’t certified and properly identified then I don’t believe they should be able to go just anywhere.
4 Likes
Bunnings should know from their experiences with onions:
It is the store which takes on legal responsibilities when allowing pets to enter the store. Accepting pets means that they accept risks associated with allowing pets to be present. When we initially took out business insurance, one of the questions asked was whether we were a ‘pet friendly’ business. We said we weren’t and asked what it would mean if we were. The answer being substantially higher premiums. I wonder if business which are ‘pet friendly’ have advised their insurer.
4 Likes
Agree that some dog owners are trying to push the limits to assert their perceived rights and so on…
But also the reason to want to take their pet with them anywhere could be:
because dogs are pack animals and they experience their worst fear when left alone, the fear of not being able to survive, that special bond they develop with humans makes them express the affection and gratitude of companionship in a way which brings us so much closer to them. Now that even tenants are allowed dogs in flats, and many are still working from home, it becomes increasingly difficult to leave a pet in the small confines of an apartment and undesirable to leave them in cars. Hence the wish to take pets in places where traditionally they are not allowed. Every owner firmly believes that their pet is extremely well behaved and toilet trained and couldn’t possibly cause any problems.
Problems will develop as soon as the number of pets in the Bunnings hardware for example increases greatly and then solutions will emerge?
Sorry if I gave the impression that I was referring to all dogs, That is not the case! The dogs from the Blind Society and the likes, are dogs I have no issue, since these dogs are well-trained, respectfully, and clean, and are for legal purposes to help their owners.
It’s the untrained owners and their unrestrained dogs, that I have a beef with, I have seen owners know full well, letting their mutt do business on the store floor and leave it. I had to seek out an employee and alert them in the event somebody might trip, slip, breaks a leg or worse. In other words, a generally safe environment becomes a landmine, great!
It is pathetic, in this day and age, we let mutts into stores because I have rights, what ever happen to common senses. The old days were, leaving your animal tied to the post or pole for the safety of everybody.
Cheers.
3 Likes
Between highly trained & ordinary pets, are a range of other “assistance” dogs. These sit in a grey area, not specifically mentioned in legislation with regard to carriage in taxis, entry to premises etc. The standard of training is an issue, as is the need to have them constantly with their human.
Airlines provide an adjoining seat (for the dog to sit on the floor) and sometimes extra leg room. Qantas FAQ Approved Service Dogs … can travel in the aircraft cabin free of charge, Pets are carried in containers in the pressurised cargo hold, at a cost. So you can see where people would like to take their dog on board for free, and airlines don’t like the loss of revenue.
Jetstar cannot take pets as they don’t have pressurised cargo. CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) has regulations on the carriage of animals in a plane, and this informs the airlines’ rules. Service animals, assistance animals | Civil Aviation Safety Authority - see AC 91-03 pdf for advice to airlines.
3 Likes
Say what? If cargo holds were not pressurised the floor would collapse. Jetstar uses the same types of aircraft as the other airlines so where on earth did you get that from?
The Jetstar disability access plan covers this
See the end of item 5.60
We do not have the ability to carry any other animals other than those listed above. We do not carry any animals in the aircraft hold, as we do not have pressurised cargo facilities
Pneumatic flooring, interesting idea, apparently Jetstar didn’t get that option.
3 Likes
Thank you @syncretic i was looking at that same plan from Jetstar. It’s not really that hard to get info before implying misinformation from others.
PS the plan updated 30 September’23.
3 Likes
I agree and it is likely that some may be confused by the difference.
Assistance Animals are those specifically licenced or registered by legislation. There are some organisations which give training and owners may believe that certificates given by the training organisation makes them ‘assistant animals’. This isn’t the case as the licencing/registration of assistance animals is an additional regulatory process.
Quote from the Disability Gateway website provided in an earlier post:
An assistance animal (being a dog or other animal) may be able to help you if you have a disability such as vision or hearing loss, other physical disabilities, or psychosocial disability. Assistance animals are specially trained to alleviate the effects of a person’s disability, are recognised under the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and must be given full access to public facilities. The regulatory schemes governing assistance animals is the responsibility of the state and territory governments.
If a trained animal hasn’t been licenced/registered by the legislated regulatory process, they aren’t an assistance animal.
I hope as a business owner that the training or animals and the regulatory process aren’t merged into one. If they are, it will potentially lower the threshold for those with assistance animals and possibly allow those with pets to have their animals licensed/registered so that they can be (companion animals) with them when they chose.
3 Likes
Some interesting information from the Assistance Dogs Australia organisation.
My italics to highlight differences between Assistance and Emotional Support dogs.
What is an Assistance Dog?
Assistance Dog is a generic term for a guide, hearing, or service dog specifically trained to perform identifiable physical tasks and behaviours to assist a person with a disability in order to aid in quality of life and/or independence. Assistance dogs are covered under many legislative access laws for public access rights when working with their handler who lives with a disability.
Assistance dogs are not to be confused with a therapy, emotional support or companion dog which are not required to undertake a Public Access Test (PAT)
All dogs can intrinsically provide emotional support to a human being. Assistance dogs are different from emotional support dogs in that they are specifically trained to perform identifiable tasks to increase independence and/or quality of life.
What does an Assistance Dog do?
Assistance Dogs are trained for two years to perform specific tasks to help their team-mate. For clients with physical disabilities, dogs can:
- Open and close doors, drawers, cupboards and fridge
- Retrieved dropped items
- Press the button at the traffic lights
- Take the washing out of the machine
- Remove items of clothing
- Pay the cashier at the shops
- Alert bark if their owner is in danger
Apart from the tangible day-to-day tasks an Assistance Dog can:
- Assist with the development and improvement of motor skills
- Provide greater freedom and independence
- Reduce the need for a carer
- Improve self-esteem and confidence
- Give love and companionship
Assistance Dogs Australia provides Assistance Dogs and their recipients with public access rights in accordance to the rules and regulations of Assistance Dogs International.
Can Assistance dogs Australia accredit/register my dog as an Emotional Support Animal?
Assistance Dogs Australia is unable to accredit or register an emotional support dog as it falls outside our scope of services.
Which states and territories have programs for registration and accreditation of assistance dogs?
There is no national register of Assistance Dogs in Australia at this time.
Queensland, Western Australia, South Australia and the ACT have programs for accreditation and registration of Assistance Dogs. Please click on the following links for information.
QLD SA WA ACT
At this time, New South Wales, Victoria, the Northern Territory and Tasmania, do not have a formal system of accreditation or registration offered by local or state government.
For more information on laws and regulations concerning the public access rights of Assistance Dogs, you can check legislation in NSW and Victoria by clicking on the links below.
NSW VIC
Please contact your state or territory government if you live in Tasmania, Australian Capital Territory or Northern Territory.
5 Likes
If Jetstar does not carry animals in the cargo hold, lack of pressurisation is not the reason despite what they say.
Aircraft fuselages are essentially round, and air pressure has to be balanced between above and below the flooring. In fact there are vents in the floor to maintain the air pressure if the bleed air system has a problem.
Possibly Jetstar doesn’t have the ground handling for animals, or maybe they don’t maintain the cargo hold heating to the same temperature as the cabin.
1 Like
From Aviation.stackexchange…‘cargo holds located behind the aft pressure bulkhead would be unpressurized…’
Before we accuse Jetstar of lying there could be other reasons?
Jetstar domestic mainly use A320 planes. Early models of these do not have cargo hold heating, except in the aftmost compartment. This is where animals may be located, and it is not unknown for the crew to forget to turn on the heating and end up with a chilly pet.
Heating air when the outside temperature is typically minus 30 degrees uses energy, so maybe that is the reason.
1 Like
