8 dogs, 4 cats, a goat and a rooster

In the ‘good ole days’ living in the suburbs used to mean families could enjoy all the civilised benefits associated with being part of a large city combined with the privacy, solitude, nice surroundings, and often great views, the country-side offers.

And city living really does have much to offer in the amenity stakes, amongst other things, close proximity to health care and ready access to quality entertainment and hospitality.

Of course our remaining country cousins (or more likely sea/tree change friends) savour their spacious rural outlook and more lay back style of living usually linked to a closer attachment with their immediate environment.

But there is now emerging a scenario which seems to combine the worst aspects of both lifestyles and brings to town much that was characteristically country … and to my mind should have stayed there.

Let’s face it suburbs were not meant to be farms, or even farmlets, and I would have thought the basics covered in Town Planning 101 would make that plain to all ratepayers and land owners.

Of course I’m no expert in these matters and like many people these days when in doubt I defer to the internet.

My local council’s website maintains all dogs must be micro-chipped and cats either have collars with tags or be chipped – it ‘helpfully’ adds horses and cattle must not be kept within nine metres of a dwelling.

There’s no mention of actually what types of pets (surely zoning comes into it) or how many one can keep on a property although it does describe the suggested procedure to follow to sort out dogs which bark excessively.

It also refers to feral animals in passing although I get the distinct impression that the topic is in the too hard basket since it offer numerous links to other non-council websites and displays a cute pic of a fox looking distinctly Basil Brush-ish and not in the least feral.

What I would like to know is: Is my new neighbour, the proud owner of four dogs of various descriptions, who perhaps not surprisingly bark in chorus at the slightest intrusion onto their perceived space (the adjacent reserve and pathway included) within his rights by keeping this many pets?

Obviously the barking is an issue but I mean just how many of man’s best friends is reasonable in the middle of suburbia?

I think my wife and I are reasonable people.  And we have in fact both become accustomed to the goat or sheep (they alternate) on a nearby larger and bush covered block (no they don’t have a dog or cat - that I can see anyway) and to be frank the animals are a lot less of a nuisance than the reputedly more domesticated varieties of our mutual neighbour.

But the four dogs and the damn rooster combined is a problem for the wife … which indirectly means a problem for me!

I’m such a heavy sleeper it doesn’t really bother me, but is she being unreasonable?

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