Brawl over crackdown on dogs in pubs
Residents in Sydney’s inner west are furious about the council banning dogs in pubs.
Now, the council in Balmain has traditionally ignored state laws prohibiting canines entering pubs in the area.
Indeed, dog-friendly pubs have attracted visitors to the suburb.
But all that has changed with the newly amalgamated Inner West Council deciding it’s not on anymore.
The council has been handing out warnings of a $600 fine for dog owners who bring their pooches inside, and pubs who allow it to happen.
Dry Dock Hotel publican Kieren Doyle said it had always ok for dogs to come to his pub.
Now, however, the new rules are barring dogs from entering food service areas.
He said he has had no choice but to ban them completely council inspectors waring him about the new crackdown.
“It used to be a part of the Balmain landscape — you could bring dogs into most of the pubs around here,” Doyle told the Daily Telegraph.
The residents say they are not going to put up with it. They can’t work out why it’s suddenly against the law.
Needless to say, high profile Sydney-siders including celebrity vet Chris Brown and former Balmain Mayor Darcy Byrne have joined the campaign to pull the council back into line.
The pro-pooch lobby has also posted a video on social media attracting more than 33,000 views in just two weeks.
Justine Hoermann, who runs the Balmain Dog LoversFacebook page, says the local crackdown is yet another example of society’s increasing “nanny state of affairs” -
Local MP Jamie Parker has written to the council, urging it “to urgently address” the issue.
“Dog-friendly pubs are a key ingredient of the charm and unique atmosphere in Balmain, and it’s a tradition well-known and much-loved by local residents,” Mr Parker told the Daily Telegraph.
“Complaints about anti-social behaviour as a result of dogs coming into pubs appear non-existent, so I’m a puzzled as to why the council has only now cracked down on this apparently harmless practice.”
by Leon Gettler, August 2nd 2016
