Balancing Act Adelaide - pet friendly planning

The blue glowing Coconut Octopus
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Conference poster about putting animals into 'pet friendly' up soon.

http://www.scas.org.uk/home/scas-annual-conference/?fbclid=IwAR3iI6LqtSnDVXy_PysPhRKVbxgUMF1ZrqO1iPRYldaOb8Aq-yh80njeL4Q

Looking forward to this conference. One of my PhD supervisors, Dr Zoei Sutton is presenting a paper on pets in private rental housing in SA. Fits in with my own research around pets and housing for older people.

Michael Webb, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at Battersea, will present research that demonstrates how the unavailability of pet-friendly rental accommodation is one of the biggest reasons behind relinquishment and the cause of much distress. The annual Society for Companion Animal Studies (SCAS) conference on is Sunday 18 September 2022, ONLINE.

‘Pet Friendly Housing: How can we keep people and pets together?’ is an important topic that impacts so many. We have an impressive line-up of speakers from the forefront of research, practice, policy, and education, and hope you can join us too (virtually). See here for the full programme and registration information:
http://www.scas.org.uk/home/scas-annual-conference/


Thank you to our main sponsor, VetSkill, and our Bronze sponsor, Human Animal Bond Research Institute - HABRI, for their generous support of this conference.

If you are developing a new fenced dog park or upgrading an existing one, there are simple rules to follow. Keep the design simple, tailor the design to your site, design with dogs in mind, create sensory nooks and areas for dogs to sniff, use natural elements rather than agility equipment. GET A COPY OF THE DOG AND CAT MANAGEMENT BOARD OF SA DOG PARK GUIDELINES- UNLEASHED A GUIDE TO SUCCEESFULL DOG PARKS. I WROTE THIS OVER 8YRS AND IT'S STILL RELEVANT TODAY.

Planning WITH pets in mind.

Do we really plan for the dogs needs/interests in our cities? How can we accommodate their needs in the urban? Cities are designed for humans!

Dog 'owner' tips for xmas from the Dog and Cat Management Board

Leash Up, for dog's sake | Dog and Cat Management Board In South Australia, your dog must be on a leash (no longer than 2 metres) in public places. There are a few exceptions (read on).

All the best with the opening today. A great community driven project. Glad i could play a small role in the design process. hope to visit the park in the new year.

Pet owners to celebrate Rio Vista Off Leash Dog Park completion Sunraysia dog owners are encouraged to come together this Friday to mark the official opening of the newly completed Rio Vista Off Leash Dog Park.

WHAT'S BEEN HAPPENING? Well, it’s been a busy and interesting 6 months at Balancing Act Adelaide ‘pet friendly planning’. Here are some of my highlights:

Trip to Port Lincoln with Amanda Balmer from WAX Design to assess potential sites for a fenced dog park (first trip after Covid restrictions). We work-shopped design ideas for the site at Nelson Square, Port Lincoln with a focus on using natural elements to create different activity areas where dogs could sniff, explore and play.

I began a Dogs in Public Places Study to examine existing and future off-leash, and 'pet friendly' opportunities for the Rural City of Murray Bridge (current).

Worked with the City of Salisbury to prepare their Dog and Cat Management Plan. This allowed some unexpected actions to emerge such as working with new arrivals to identify and address dog and cat management issues that were of concern to them.

Initiated a study to explore how retirement villages cater for companion dogs living with their human guardians. Interesting to see fenced dog parks being built within retirement villages such as ACH Perry Park and Lightsview (Stocklands).

I continued my independent research on fenced dog parks which I started over 10 years ago. So far, I have audited 60+ fenced dog parks in Australia and overseas including in SA, WA, ACT, QLD, Singapore, and the USA (Texas & California).

Revamped a Checklist for Aged Care Providers titled: ‘Inclusion of ‘personal pets’ or pet ownership in aged care facilities (2021).

Alongside all of this I have been undertaking a PhD at UniSA (Justice and Society) on the human and animal entanglements of pet ownership in aged care facilities and retirement villages.

If you would like to know more about my work or a copy of any reports that are publicly available, please contact me at fiona.balancingactadelaide.com.au

Photos: Concept design with WAX Design + Charlie the dog (SA) and photo supplied by WAX Design; art in fenced dog park built under a freeway (Deep Ellum, Dallas); Adelaide Brighton Cement dog park (The first park I designed in 2014/15 in collaboration with Aspect Studios, dog on blue mound).