Queensland tribunal overturns apartment ban on miniature Schnauzer in landmark pet ruling

Polly the miniature Schnauzer has won the right to live at the resort A miniature Schnauzer named Polly has had a major win after a tribunal ruled that the body corporate that tried to prevent her from living in a resort-style apartment complex had been “unreasonable”. In a decision with national relevance for apartment owners and investors, Queensland Civil and Appeals Tribunal (QCAT) adjudicator M. Kearney found the Portlinks body corporate in Craiglie, near Port Douglas, acted unreasonably when it repeatedly refused owner Tanya Melville permission to keep her seven-year-old dog Polly in her lot. Portlinks is the body corporate for Plantation Resort. The committee knocked back the request three times, despite Polly being a small indoor dog and despite proposed conditions aimed at stopping any impact on neighbours or wildlife. Polly is a miniature Schnauzer like the one pictured here But the adjudicator determined that Ms Melville was “deemed to have the written approval” to keep Polly, subject to a list of conditions including that the dog be leashed on common property, not roam, not access nearby council land and not cause a nuisance. The judgment takes aim at one of the most co...