How to protect the community from dog-related incidents?

Given the significant number of dog attack incidents across NSW, a group of animal lovers is working with councils to develop a communications program that uses humour to raise awareness of current laws and promote good behaviour by pets and their owners.

Andrew Dummett was recently taking Sunny, his pet rescue greyhound, for a walk at a local parkland and it should have been a pleasant experience for dog and owner. Another pet owner with two Weimaraner dogs entered the same area, and all three dogs were off leash. What started as tentative playful interaction between the animals soon transformed into aggression with one of the dogs attacking Sunny and causing severe injuries.

This is an all too frequent occurrence, with NSW councils reporting a staggering 1,202 dog attack incidents in just the last three months of 2024. Among those attacked in this period were 133 children and 76 of the humans attacked required hospitalisation.

“Some owners fail to realise that their pet is no longer under their full control when it is off the leash. This is just one of the causes of this dog attack epidemic our community is currently facing,” says Andrew, Founder and Director of The Adshop. A seasoned communications expert, Andrew has teamed up with Blacktown Council and two other professionals to develop a series of videos called Doggy Do’s and Dont's as a means of educating dog owners and minders on doing the right thing with pets under their care.

Blacktown City Council has already thrown their support firmly behind this initiative. In NSW, a dog attack may lead to the maximum penalty is $22,000 and can also include a period of two years imprisonment. If the attack is by a restricted breed dog, maximum penalty increases to $55,000 and can also include four years imprisonment.

Joining Andrew in this canine safety initiative are fellow animal lovers Gareth Barrett and Matt Storer, each volunteering their time and talents to support this cause. The team will use dog puppets in an innovative manner to engage dog owners and take the message of safely managing pets to the broader community.

Gareth is a self-confessed animal lover and owns two cats. He has also raised several dogs and feels a lot of dog owners neglect training their dogs properly. A well trained dog is a well balanced dog. A veteran of many campaigns, Gareth brings his formidable video creation skills to the project.

With his hilarious take on life, stand-up comedian and performer Matt Storer has amassed a devoted online audience of over half a billion across his social media channels. Matt will use his comic genius to breathe life into the four puppet heroes starring in the video – Top Dog, Rex, Jeff and Co-Co.

The first Doggy Do’s and Dont's video will focus on leash and control requirements that Blacktown Council requires all dog owners to abide by. To promote this initiative in the community, details will be displayed throughout Social Media and at parklands on signs featuring a QR code that takes users directly to the dog safety video. Subsequent episodes will educate the community on other important aspects as already laid out by Councils. These range from Nuisance Control and Microchipping and Registration to Consideration for Children and Managing Aggressive Behaviour.

For more information please contact:

Andrew Dummett
Adshop Marketing Communications
0418 268 205
info@adshop.com.au
ABN 41 125 817 277