Ours is a quiet cul de sac apart from the only two dogs in the street, one on either side.
One of these midnight yappers also killed two blue-tongued lizards in as many days, its owner ruefully admitted.
In the evening the cats can be seen heading off to the park to stalk native birds to satisfy their hunting impulses,
their stomachs already sated by their indulgent owners.
Australia’s estimated 3.6 million dogs and 2.3 million cats consume approximately $2.8 billion pa of pet food,
owners paying up to $100 per kilo for such delicacies as dried pigs ears for their pampered pets.
While plastic shopping bags have been banned in some jurisdictions the ubiquitous black plastic doggy-do bags can still be found in every corner of every park alongside unwrapped dog-waste lying in wait of the unwary.
Problems of overgrazing and overfishing would surely be ameliorated by the reduction in pet numbers,
as would the problem of canine faecal contamination in our waterways.
Which pet owner can seriously talk about the unequal distribution of wealth when the cost of feeding their pet,
not to mention veterinary fees, could sustain the occupants of an African village?
If overpopulation is a pressing problem that needs addressing then surely the overpopulation of pets is equally,
if not more, pressing and more easily solved.

I agree, but it will never happen, we can't even get people to register or de-sex their pets, or keep or treat them appropriately, let alone give them up!
An immediate neutering of all pets would solve most of the problems, let them die out slowly so no-one has to give up theirs, that might work, but get it through a Parliament like ours?
Will you have Fries with that,Sir?

There are certainly a lot of careless and thoughtless pet owners about but I am not sure that eliminating pets is the answer.

I know some suburbs and communities where domestic pets like cats and dogs are not allowed. I think there should be more of these communities and would no doubt lead to less neighbourhood disputes and there is nothing worse than a constantly yapping dog or stepping in dog doo in your own front yard.

We have a few dogs in our neighbourhood and we just put up with them and they are not too bad. I remember when my oldest was a baby our neighbour across the road had a non-stop barking dog which drove us mad and the baby would often get woken up by it's incessant noise.

I don't know what the answer would be KMB because I think stricter legislation such as banning cats from being outdoors at night, dogs being trained not to bark, and forcing owners to pick up dog doo probably would be ignored except by those already responsible pet owners. The nongs would continue in the same way.

I don't understand why so many people have a dog and then are never around to attend to it. My family made friends with a lovely golden retriever up the road who used to get out of the fence and visit us. She was not a barker, in fact I think she could not bark and didn't appear to have a larynx. The owners were never home and I used to think we should adopt her to ensure she received better care. Eventually they moved away and we never knew what happened to her. She was not mistreated just ignored for the most part.

Dear KMB,

We've already got laws in place concerning
pets - but as Pelican pointed out - not everyone
obeys them. We live in a quiet court - and have
a neighbour who refused to have her cat neutered.
The poor kitten had babies - and the neighbour
sold them. The end result was the kitten turned
feral and they had to have her put down.

I see people walking their dogs in the nearby park.
Not everyone picks up the dog poo.

Apart from irresponsible pet owners - we've got
another problem in our area. Since the building
of freeways, and the cutting back of native trees,
native birds have moved into suburbia. Our home
is surrounded by trees. The one that the birds
seem to prefer is right outside out bedroom
window. They start their 'singing,' at the crack
of dawn each morning. And don't get me started
about the crows...

I agree. Pets are an indulgence which is no longer sustainable. They are also a nuisance to petless neighbours who, if they wanted to put up with barking and cat poo from the pets of others, they would have their own pets.

Even with smaller homes and garden areas, people insist on having the damn thingsm, which is downright cruel to the animals.

I agree KMB, I don't want to and I love my two little dogs and they are usually the first thing a foster child is attracted to and will trust.

But you are right.

I also have two chickens, do they go too? They are more producers of food rather than pets.

So just dogs and cats eliminated?