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A second petition presented to the District Council of Yankalilla has again sparked debate around the dog off-leash bylaws. Robert Fenwick Elliott, of Myponga Beach, presented an online petition which complemented the paper petition put forward late last year and received 1000 signatures, urging the council to loosen restrictions on dogs’ ability to run off-leash on beaches around the district. He said the results of the petitions showed the restriction on dogs “makes life worse for the great majority of residents”. He said the bylaws went against the wishes of residents and damaged residents’ health, the local economy, and the health of the animals. “It goes without saying that the bylaw is also very bad news for our dogs. Dogs cannot be adequately exercised on a lead, and so they are not getting the exercise they need – neither are their owners,” he said. He also stated there was no actual evidence that plovers were troubled by his dog, who “runs straight past them and the plovers do not bother even to walk away, let alone fly away”. He argued his point and appealed to the council to do its “democratic duty and repeal this law”. “If the council has any doubt about the force of these points, I invite whoever on the council who wants to retain this law to a public debate, where the issues can be honestly and thoroughly ventilated,” he said.

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