Yugul Mangi Community Government Council, NT. Dog Program Interview

Interview by Claudette Vaughan

The Yugul Mangi Community Government Council, NT was awarded a Voiceless Grant to assist them in South East Arnhem Land, to develop a comprehensive training program for the proper treatment of dogs in Aboriginal communities such as Ngukurr. We spoke to David Shoobridge, a consultant in local government, recently about the progress of the Dog Program.

Abolitionist: You have considerable experience with the problems of roaming dogs in small Outback territories. Tell us about that please Dave.

DS: Until recently I was the CEO at Daily River for about 8 ½ years. While there I went out to different communities working with the communities on a relieving basis. These are my observations.

From place to place these dogs health varies. At Daily River we used to be able to keep the numbers down but basically the health of the dogs themselves were not good whereas I've just been at Ngukurr and because there is more programs directly intended for the animals the health of the dogs is generally much better.

Abolitionist: How could this problem get so out of hand?

DS: The problem is funding. There is no designated funding from either Federal or State sources or in this case Territory so therefore most councils don't have this kind of excess in their budget so they tend not to give it too much attention. Consequently there is not health programs in the community so they simply get out of hand. Councils don't believe in a nexus between human health and animal health.

Abolitionist: What is the solution because we recently spoke with Anne Celan who was also given a VOICELESS - The Fund For Animals Grant and she said the funding did not come from the CEO's of these communities. Funding was achieved only if the CEO's were dog/animal-friendly then there might be a slim chance of him/her listening to the problem yet I can't help but think this is all very precarious.

DS: I can only concur exactly with what Anne Celan said. One of the biggest problems I've seen is the possible connection between personal hygiene and the animals because in many cases the dogs will frequent the houses - they are in and out all of the time - and sleeping on the bedding from the family so there must be some connection between personal hygiene and the animals. The sicker the animals, well, surely this must have a flow-on effect. Never the less, the official line of the Northern Territory Health Department is animal health is not their concern and they will not assist councils to do anything about it.

Abolitionist: It must be very hard to make headway. What's the ideal solution to dealing with this crisis then? Legislation?

DS: I'm not sure if legislation is a fix-it- all at all. Ideally if there was some sort of general program like for example, it does take a lot of money to bring out a vet to a community. These communities need a vet that was designated a government position with the appropriate assistance then he or she could move from community to community doing the necessary desexing and sterilisations and so on.

I think that would make a tremendous result. I don't think that the NT government in this instance should actually give money to the councils but perhaps it wouldn't cost them proportionally to set up a animal health program themselves and allow that animal health program to flow onto all the other communities.

Abolitionist: To be as passionate as you are on this subject Dave you must have seen some things?

DS: I certainly have. I personally have been asked to euthanase dogs because they were so ill with the mange, general hydration, hunger and stuff like that, it's quite sickening to have to deal with a dog or an animal when she finally gets to that condition.

We have dogs ourselves at home and I would certainly hate to see that become a general condition right through to all the communities in the Outback.

As I said I have just been to Ngukurr. Now it's interesting that there was a grant given there by VOICELESS and there's been over the last year or so, two if not more visits by a Darwin veterinary surgeon who cares passionately about the community's dogs. The results are very noticeable. The general health of the dogs is good in Ngukurr. Of course there will always be the sick ones among them but, on the whole, these dogs' health is much better than those at Daily River, Peppimenarti or Port Ketsa or any of the other communities.

Abolitionist: Is this an aboriginal problem because I don't want to beat up on the aboriginal people with a situation that has clearly been neglected and gotten out of hand. What's your take on it Dave?

DS: I don't think it is any particular Aboriginal fault here but you do find in many poor areas the problem exists. It's very easy to get a dog. They are not very expensive to buy. It's the care of the dog is where the expense comes in. Generally the Aboriginal community is a low socio-economic community so the dogs tend to be the last one on the list. Food comes first then other needs at looked at. Dogs and animals seem to tag along and are the last to be considered.

Abolitionist: What is actually happening in terms of cruelty in the Outback? Do the de-sexing programs seem to be working?

DS: Yes, de-sexing certainly keeps the numbers down. I've seen dogs when on heat they become pregnant and it's a never - ending cycle. Consequently puppies are flying into the place. Some of them get homes but most of them just run around the general community.

I'd like to say for one of these communities to bring a vet out it costs on average about 2000-2500 dollars a day. Now that includes a vet, includes the drugs, the equipment and most likely the assistance of a veterinary nurse.

When a vet comes out he has to be there on average for 3 or 4 days. It adds up to quite a few pennies because the vet has to leave their practice and they have to travel to these remote communities but if you were to set up a government vet on an annual salary as well as an assistant it would appear to be the most cost effective thing to do. They could then go from clinic to clinic as all the community's have health centres. They could work out of a room. It would take a day or two for people to get to know them and to get the confidence up so you are looking for say $250,000 -$300,000 at the most would set up this program and you have 30 communities - that's $10,000 a community - that would be the equivalent of government having to give that money out. What's more, it's all done. Not only that but counting the cost of the 3-4 visits per year by the vet and so on - in other words - your money is going three times further.

What I am advocating is not that they give their communities the money but set up a separate program. Put it under Primary Industries, Health, whatever you like. In other words treat all the communities as one and that would have to have tangible results in respect to personal health issues in the Outback as well.