Queensland dog owner Rose fined $350 after she moved to NSW and forgot to deregister her pet
An angry single mother has warned the owners of a dog house about some shocking rules that threatened to take away her driver’s license if she didn’t pay a fantastic $348.80.
Jo Marshall was left with the daunting choice of not de-registering her Rhodesian Ridgeback Rose when she moved from Queensland to New South Wales in 2020.
Ms Marshall has since ignored digital reminders from Sunshine Coast Council to renew dog registrations as she no longer lives there.
In 2020, she moved 1,282 km from her home in Noosa to regional NSW for work, taking her daughter and dog with her.
But because Ms Marshall did not cancel the registration, her former council continued to accrue a debt for Rose’s registration, despite the household living elsewhere.
Jo Marshall received a scary $350 fantastic award or no license for not canceling her dog Rose’s registration even though she had moved across the country. Pictured is Rose with Mrs. Marshall
Ms Marshall expressed frustration at the fantastic dimension considering {that} years of dog registrations with the Sunshine Coast Council, prices are just $24
The blame was eventually shifted to the State Penal Enforcement Register (SPER), run by the Queensland Office of Revenue, who issued her with a notice of intent to revoke her license.
But the message warned her of an alternative punishment in pink letters: “Pay your arrears or we’ll take your driver’s license away.”
Ms Marshall cannot afford to lose her driving license as she drives around 1000km a week and visits her daughter who is at a boarding school.
An exasperated Ms Marshall advised Daily Mail Australia that she could not get out of the fantastic situation despite not using the service for which she had to pay.
“There’s no escaping the penalty. It’s in the terms and conditions and I can’t afford to fight it and lose,” she declared.
“I just want others to know about this appalling money making scheme by Sunshine Coast Council.
“Councils should not have the power to revoke driving licenses that are so important to everyday life, especially in the country, or impose such ridiculous fines for not canceling a dog’s registration.”
Ms. Marshall felt as if she had been hit in the hip pocket, despite her efforts to be a responsible dog owner.
“They seem to be penalizing people who try to do the right thing by registering their dog in the first place, rather than fining people who don’t,” Ms Marshall advised Daily Mail Australia.
“I can’t believe they have the right to suspend your license for pet ownership.
“I just want to highlight the whole hidden thing.”
She further expressed her displeasure at the fantastic dimension as annual dog registration with the Sunshine Coast Council only costs $24.
Even a three-year overdue dog registration would only equal $72, but her fantastic value was $348.80.
In February, the ABC reported that more than 2,800 Queenslanders had been fined by SPER for not paying dog registration fees in the previous year. Of these, more than 500 have misplaced their driver’s licenses.
Ms Marshall additionally posted a warning to various dog house owners on the Noosa social media neighborhood web page.
“Warning to anyone leaving this area, physically deregister your dog or you will be fined $350 after 2.5 years or have your driver’s license suspended, no way out! she wrote.
“I didn’t have any other notices in the fine print to say you have to renew the dog’s registration, but I don’t live there so I deleted it.
“Don’t think it’s just going to end like I did.
“They should be more transparent about such a terrible fine.”
Locals on the website were confused by the Queensland ruling.
“What does your driver’s license have to do with your dog?” the person asked.
“Why should they take away their driver’s license? It doesn’t make any sense.
“Are you sure this isn’t a scam?” wrote the girl.
“I would absolutely dispute that,” said one. “How can they charge you for no service?”
Ms Marshall felt as if she had been punched in the hip pocket despite her efforts to be a responsible dog owner
Ms Marshall has since ignored digital reminders from Sunshine Coast Council to renew dog registrations as she no longer lives there.
Ms Marshall disputed the fantastic and was informed that the fantastic print on her authentic Rose registration was due to council action.
Another man posted that he bought an identical fantastic for a similar reason.
“Exactly the same thing happened to me and I spent hours on the phone and visited Noosa Council twice from Brisbane,” he wrote.
“It was all a waste of time as the penalty could not be overturned as it was now in SPER’s hands and I was again threatened with having my license revoked.”
As usual, when faced with alleged administrative dishonesty, commentators resorted to humor.
“Let’s all learn from this,” one man wrote. “It wouldn’t happen if you didn’t register your dog first.”
“They have to pay for the Olympics somehow,” was another person’s cheeky response.
Daily Mail Australia has approached the Queensland Office of Revenue and the Sunshine Coast Council for comment.
