A canine walker has clapped backmost astatine a assembly for 'unfairly targeting' him successful a 'grab for money' aft helium was fined for walking excessively galore dogs successful an off-leash area.
Watch Pets proprietor Ron Buch was fined $960 by Melbourne's City of Port Phillip aft walking 10 dogs off-leash adjacent the St Kilda promenade successful December past year.
The frustrated canine walker claimed he'd noticed assembly cracking down connected his assemblage implicit the past 2 years.
The substance was taken to Melbourne Magistrates Court wherever Mr Buch's institution pleaded blameworthy to walking excessively galore dogs without a permit.
'I've been walking dogs for implicit 20 years and ne'er had an issue,' Mr Buch told the Herald Sun extracurricular court.
Mr Buch claimed different canine walking companies were targeted by the assembly and closed down owed to fiscal issues.
Dog walkers successful the Port Phillip assembly country are required to clasp a licence if they locomotion much than 7 dogs astatine once.
Mr Buch had the licence but broke its information that the dogs indispensable beryllium kept connected a leash astatine each times, adjacent successful off-leash areas.
Ron Buch (pictured) of Watchpets was fined $960 for walking 10 off-leash dogs successful an off-leash permitted area
City of Port Phillip politician Heather Cunsolo said Mr Buch was caught with the 10 dogs off-leash successful an off-leash area.
'We implemented the licence past twelvemonth aft assemblage members expressed concerns astir the quality of commercialized canine walkers to power ample numbers of dogs successful nationalist spaces, including off-leash areas,' Ms Cunsolo said.
The City of Port Phillip country is patrolled regular by assembly workers to guarantee canine walkers and different licence holders are pursuing the enforced rules.
Ms Cunsolo said the patrols guarantee the spaces stay 'safe, cleanable and enjoyable'.
She added assembly workers bash not specifically people peculiar categories of canine walkers and businesses and individuals are some held to the council's rules.
Mr Buch was primitively fined $960 by the assembly but the City of Port Phillip authoritative sought costs of $1,200 erstwhile Mr Buch took it to court.
The Melbourne Magistrates Court reduced the good to $200 and ordered Mr Buch to wage it arsenic good arsenic $150 successful costs.
The Melbourne Magistrates Court ordered Mr Buch to wage $350 aft proceeding his licence lone allowed him to locomotion up to 7 off-leash dogs, adjacent successful off-leash areas
Mr Buch claimed helium was confused astir the conditions of his licence and believed the dogs were allowed to tally off-leash successful off-leash areas.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted City of Port Phillip and Mr Buch for comment.
English (US) ·