It’s a social media hit: Justin Brow’s dog, Honey, may have racked up nearly $4000 in fines causing her owner hip-pocket angst, but her “Houdini” like ability to escape from his backyard has earned her the respect from people throughout the world.
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Thus, what began as a letter to council asking for leniency, has ended up as an international news story - a classic tale of a smart endearing kelpie outwitting her owner. At least that's how I am trying to make sense of it all … and Justin somewhat agrees.
“Honey’s story has gone viral,” he said.
“It was the feature article of home page of ABC National website, 2GB called me during drive-time. I’ve done a couple of interviews for the ABC, The Project want to do a story, Women's Day called, I’ve just got off the phone with the SMH … not to mention stories with The Huffington Post and The Daily Mail.
“I reckon it’s a story that has resonated with people. Single dad with three kids doing his best … and the fact that I’ve done everything to stop Honey escaping.
“You know, attached extra wire barriers, reinforced parts of the fence with corrugated iron, poured cement to prevent Honey digging holes to go underneath … everything and at the end of the day she’s just a loving dog who craves companionship - so she finds ways to roam.
“I always understand that as a regulatory body, the council needs to set in place certain boundaries to ensure a harmonious and enjoyable life for all members of the community. And I totally got how understand it falls within the ranger’s jurisdiction to manage this … but the frustration I had was about the way in which he went about it in the end. Why not just give me a call? This is Bello, a community-spirited initiative to help out a bit when I’ve been trying my hardest to get it right”
Whatever the locals think of the dog who wanders, it’s apparent the story has legs.
And the tale keeps walking.
“There were already plans for Honey to be an official therapy dog at Hartley House (Bellingen Health Campus),” Justin said.
“This came about because I was trying to figure out how best to keep honey occupied during the day. Jennie from Soul Kindle Bellingen and I had a discussion about whether Honey could sit in front of her store … and then we realised she’d be perfect with the elderly patient’s as Honey is so gentle and placid and loving.
“So after heaps of discussions with friends, there’s now a GoFundme campaign to raise money to pay for Honey’s fines, but importantly any extra cash will go to help pay for Honey’s ongoing costs at Bellingen Hospital.
“Really, after all this, there’s going to be a really really good outcome”.
And … after all this, certainly lost in the local conversation … what did council have to say?
Council’s general manager Liz Jeremy refused to comment on individual cases and instead released a statement noting the NSW Companion Animals Act 1987 is State Government legislation that sets out the responsibilities for owning a dog.
“The local council is responsible for enforcing this legislation and this is usually carried out by the council ranger,” Liz said.
“A key responsibility under this legislation relates to ensuring that dogs are under effective control when in a public place to ensure the safety of all concerned.
“When a dog is seen in a public place it is council's first preference to take the dog home, engage with the owners about the responsibilities of pet ownership, and discuss strategies to prevent the dog(s) from roaming. Most dog owners will voluntarily comply with the legislation and not usually the subject of any future incidents or complaints.
“Where dogs have been declared a nuisance dog under the relevant legislation there is a requirement that they be managed more responsibly by their owners as generally these dogs have been repeatedly observed to be roaming in a public place.
“Unfortunately council is not in a position to comment on individual circumstances due to the provisions of various legislation including the Privacy and Personal Information Protection Act 1998 and the Companion Animals Information Act 2008.”
