Melbourne has once again reigned supreme over Sydney – taking out the title of most pet friendly city in Australia according to the national Pet Positives Score.
The news comes as Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford today joined high profile veterinarian Dr Chris Brown to officially launch the Keep Australia Pet Friendly campaign at Parliament House.
The #keepauspetfriendly campaign, sponsored by Mars Petcare aims to reverse the downward trend of pet populations in Australia.
A key focus for the campaign is encouraging community members, councils and planning officials to work together to ensure pets are kept in mind when developing and improving shared spaces.
There are many proven benefits of pet ownership, however recent research has shown Australian pet populations are declining.
One of the reasons for this decline is that Australian cities and states are not pet friendly enough, so #keepauspetfriendly is tackling issues around improving pet friendly outdoor spaces in parks, cafes and even workplaces.
The campaign is based on research that suggests creating pet-friendly locations is one of the best ways to stem recent declines in pet populations.
While Melbourne recently topped the Pet Positives Score as the most pet-friendly city in Australia, Sydney rated last. In the survey of cat and dog owners, improving access to outdoor public areas is considered by far the most important attribute to pet owners.
In Melbourne, 46 per cent of dog owners said friendly outdoor public areas was the most important factor.
Of cat owners in Melbourne, 17 per cent considered public education programs and events as the main factor to improve cat-friendliness.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Agriculture Jaala Pulford
"Melburnians should be proud that once again they are leading the way when it comes to being pet friendly. Pets aren't just companions, they are part of our community and for many of us our families.”
“The Andrews Labor Government is proud to lead the way in not only stamping out cruel and barbaric puppy farms, but we are investing in animal welfare across the state.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020