Update on the ban of prong collars in QLD.

I am happy to say, this is looking very very promising, at least from the opportunity to educate the public.  So far, everyone has been extremely supportive of the proposed ban, with many people needing to look up what these collars are for lack of knowing anything about them.  Most people cannot believe it is legal to use or sell these in Australia, which is how it should be.

At the moment, fingers crossed, I am hoping to see an official petition up within the next week.  This morning we did a photo shoot for the Sunday Mail on the issue, hopefully the story will run this weekend but apparently that depends on editorial, will let everyone know when it comes out.

We (well, Storm was listening in!) did an interview with ABC Coast Fm on Wednesday Morning which was interesting, unfortunately we got our wires a little mixed up and the host thought we were pushing for a ban on electric collars.  Different topic, however definitely don’t recommend the use of these either.

What I am really trying to figure out is why the ban in Victoria has not been mirrored in other states yet.  If anyone has any input on this I would be really keen to hear your ideas.

I am thinking about doing a short, recorded tour to support the campaign for the ban and provide evidence on how unnecessary these collars are, with a visit to a number of cities throughout QLD.  I would be looking for the worst behaved, out of control dogs in each area, preferably who are already using these collars as a last resort.  We will show the owners how to control and train their dog without the collar and record each case to help put weight behind the ban.  I have every confidence in the ability to do this of course, simply comes down to the old funding issue which I am sure can be overcome.

Oh and don’t forget to get this Monday’s Sunshine Coast Daily.  The delightfully BIG Miss Annie and Daisy have a lovely story that should be running.   It’s a little funny getting a deaf dog to look at the camera, especially seeing as you cannot whistle or whimper to get her attention!

Talk soon – Melissa Bruce & Storm