The family has claimed that the complaints were made by a "vindictive neighbour".
A Brisbane family is desperately trying to save the life of their pet dog after the council called for it to be put down for ‘excessive barking’.
The city council issued a notice to ‘Seize and Destory’ the Banwell family’s three-year-old golden retriever, Sandy, after they received complaints about her barking for the past ‘two-and-a-half years’.
Sandy’s family have claimed most of the complaints have been made by a “vindictive neighbour” and that the council has evidence that the dog “does not bark much at all” and is choosing to ignore it.
When 9News reached out to Brisbane’s city council, a spokesperson Matthew Bourke, said, “On a number of occasions, this animal has barked excessively, up to 11 minutes in one instance.”
The family have turned to a petition to save Sandy’s life, asking for 75,000 signatures to present to the council.
“I have tried every avenue to address this, but no-one in council will listen,” writes Fiona Banwell, “My children are so upset that this type of thing could happen. Only pressure on the Council will save our dog as it appears bureaucrats only take notice when it may effect their votes or public image.
The petition currently has 64,000 signatures. You can sign the petition here.
It’s 10:00am on a Monday, you’ve just spilt your coffee on your new white top and work is piling up on your desk faster than you could possibly imagine.
You’re sitting there, wishing you could magic yourself to this time yesterday, when you were lying in bed doing the Sunday crossword.
But unfortunately, time travel isn’t quite a thing and that work isn’t going to complete itself.
What you need is a quick pick-me-up. Something that will pull you out of your slump so you can get on with your day and your life!
So without further ado, here are five very free ways to feel happier today.
1. Give the gift of kindness
Despite what you’ve learnt from years of Christmas, gift giving doesn’t always mean forking out your entire savings.
Performing an act of kindness can be as simple as complimenting a stranger on their shoes or giving up your seat on the bus.
Try it today, and discover how making someone’s day also has the powerful ability to do the same for you.
2. Get back to nature
In 2013, 10,000 participants vowed to spend 30 minutes a day outside for 30 consecutive days, to determine whether time spent outdoors can increase happiness and well-being.
“We found that participants almost doubled their time spent outside during the month and reduced their screen time by about 4.5 hours per week,” said Trent University Researcher, Dr Elizabeth Nisbet.
“They reported significant increases in their sense of well-being, feeling more vitality and energy, while feelings of stress, negativity, and sleep disturbances were all reduced.”
Give it a go and you’ll be surprised how much a hit of vitamin D can literally brighten up your day.
Take a moment to lie in the grass like Victoria Beckham.
3. Move your body
When you’re in a slump, getting active might feel like your last priority. But by simply moving your body about can turn that all around.
“Exercise has many benefits. It not only is useful for your muscle tone and weight management, but also increases circulation, and boosts your mood and ability to focus,” says dietitian and Woman’s Day’s health expert, Belinda Reynolds.
Our expert recommends taking a brisk power walk around the block or the closest park. “You will feel more energised as a result.”
4. Get your beauty sleep
While it sounds obvious, a lack of sleep can take a serious toll on your mood, memory, concentration and your work performance – all of which can seriously drain the smile out of you.
Our expert recommends getting yourself into a good routine of heading to bed at a decent time each night, and maintaining consistency with your pattern.
“And avoid exposing yourself to the light emitted from electronic devices in the couple of hours before bed. This will assist better quality sleep,” she says.
Olivia Munn knows a lack of sleep can dampen your spirits.
5. Smile
Here’s one you can try right now!
There’s been solid evidence drawn from multiple studies to suggest that just smiling – even if it’s not sincere, has the ability to elevate your mood.
When your face uses its designated smiling muscles, endorphins are sent to your brain which we all know act as a natural mood booster and stress reliever.
Well, what do you know? Fake it ’til you make it just got a new meaning!
Need some help smiling? Check out these adorable best friends in the video player below!
Michael Phelps has had a great week at the Rio Olympics, taking home six medals for the USA. And while he may be in retirement now, it’s clear the champion swimmer isn’t quite willing to give up the pool just yet.
The 31-year-old took to Instagram to post a photo of himself lying in the pool with his his fiancée Nicole Johnson and their baby Boomer Robert.
“There’s nothing like being back home!!” he captioned the snap. “Great way to spend my first day in retirement!!”
Rio marked Phelp’s fifth Olympics and brought his medal count up to 28. But now, as he told PEOPLE, he is ready to grow his family and spend time with his gorgeous son.
“He’s locking onto things and staring at things now, so you really do see him growing — not just physically growing, but you can tell he’s getting older. And it’s just a cool feeling watching him grow up,” he said.
“So we started off on a perfect note: We got a boy,” he says. “We got a beautiful, healthy baby boy, and we’re looking to continue to grow our family.”
Click through to check out baby Boomer’s most adorable looks.
Hitting the number three spot in Britain’s rich list, the 25-year-old has inherited an approximate £9 billion fortune, following the death of his father Gerald Grosvenor.
According to Google converter that’s a whopping $15,194,040,327.85.
The young Brit also gets the title of 7th Duke of Westminster and their family home, Eaton Hall.
But who is the UK’s newest billionaire?
William asked his family friend to be his son’s godfather – making him the youngest and richest from the bunch!
Hugh is pictured as a baby with his dad and mother, Natalia Ayesha Phillips
He is Gerald and Natalia’s third child and has three sisters.
The eldest of the dapper chap’s siblings is Lady Tamara, 36, who is married to one of Prince William’s best friends, Edward van Cutsem.
Then there is 34-year-old Lady Edwina who is the wife of British TV presenter and historian Dan Snow, and the family’s youngest member is 23-year-old Lady Viola.
While Hugh is obviously not the oldest child, British law dictates that male children inherit a will ahead of female children, irrespective of age.
The three girls are still set to inherit a rather considerable trust fund.
Lady Edwina and Dan Snow’s wedding in 2010 [Hugh circled].
A dear friend of the royals, the Duke is especially close to Prince Charles, with the next-in-line-to-the-throne asking his wife to be Prince William’s godmother.
The family have managed to lead a life out of the spotlight, despite their vast wealth.
Hugh’s parents are exceptionally close to the royals.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge released a statement, saying, “their thoughts are very much with his family this morning” and the Queen sent a private message to the family.
Keeping in tradition, Gerald’s only son is Prince George’s godfather, while his wife, Natalia is Prince William’s godmother.
The Duke is said to own “half of London”, pictured with Dannii Minogue.
The new Duke with his brother-in-law, Dan Snow.
Not giving into their pedigree, the parents gave their children normal childhoods, sending them to the local state primary school, before all the kids attended a local private high school.
His late father spoke fondly of his little one back in 1992 during a chat with The Independent.
“My main object will be to teach him self-discipline and a sense of duty. He’s been born with the longest silver spoon anyone can have, but he can’t go through life sucking on it. He has to put back what he has been given.”
Watch the Duke chat to the BBC in a candid interview. Post continues!
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Doing just that, Hugh went on to study at Oxford and now works for coffee recycling firm Bio-bean, which collects waste coffee grounds and converts them into biofuels and biomass pellets.
But what’s the use of being a billionaire if you can’t have a little fun?
For Hugh’s 21st birthday, his parents threw him a birthday bash costing an approximated £5 million.
800 of his closest friends and family were invited including Prince Harry, while British comedian Michael McIntyre and hip hop band Rizzle Kicks provided the entertainment.
“The party was simply amazing – a birthday and a party I will never forget. It is the beginning of a new era in my life and I look forward to the challenges that lie ahead,” the birthday boy told his local paper, The Chester Chronicle.
Following the death of Gerald, a friend of Hugh’s spoke of the 25-year-old to The Sun.
Prince William and Duchess Catherine following the birth of their son…
To think this billionaire will be a guiding force for little Prince George.
“You’d never have known that his dad was a billionaire. He never flashed the cash although he would often put his hand in his pocket to buy a round of drinks,” the told the British publication.
“He’s a really down-to-earth bloke who never acted like a toff and is just a really good guy.”
Hugh’s relationship status is currently unknown, but if he is single, the lad from Eaton has just skyrocketed to one of the world’s richest bachelors.
Hugh and Harry have been dear friends for decades.
In fact, Hugh, pictured in the blue shirt, joined the Prince during his time in Africa last year.
The pair had a splendid time at the African safari.
Three years ago Vanity Fair described him as “baby-faced” and “absurdly rich”, while the Tatler List mused, “Hughie’s a Newcastle graduate with his own wine collection who goes wild for girls in neon.”
They also kindly noted that after inheriting his father’s estate he would “own half of London”.
We’re sure Prince Harry will give him a few pointers on life in the fast lane, after all the pair both went to Africa together, following the 31-year-old’s retirement from the army.
Athletes in the Olympic village certainly know the meaning of work hard, play hard.
According to a new report, the usage of dating app Tinder has more than doubled since the start of the games earlier this month.
Rosette Pambakian, VP of Global Communications & Branding for the popular app revealed on August 9, that since over 10,000 athletes moved into the 31-building village, user matches have increased by 129 percent.
“The Olympics is a very sexually charged time,” online dating expert, Julie Spira, told AP.
“Young athletes and attendees have been using dating apps heavily in prior Olympics, but now the popularity of an app like Tinder continues to grow and grow.”
Instagram account SportsSwipe has published the profiles of the Olympic legends looking for a match off the field.
And let’s just say that we’re not surprised that a lot of swiping right is going on…
US swimmer and 12-time Olympic medallist, Ryan Lochte, is among the slew of muscle-clad sportspeople matching up on the infamous hook-up app.
And apparently the event coordinators foresaw the worldwide athletes being brought together in more ways than one.
In preparation for the games, 450,000 condoms were allocated for Olympians – and with 10,500 competitors, that’s 42 condoms each.
Although the number may sound like a lot, according to Aussie swimmer Melanie Schlanger the party favours are indeed necessary.
“Let’s just say there is a very good reason there are so many free condoms in the village. This year I expect Tinder will be very popular,” the 29-year-old revealed to news.com.au.
Teenager Kyle Chalmers has surprised everyone to break Australia’s drought in the men’s 100 metres freestyle final with a stunning come-from-behind victory.
Teenager Kyle Chalmers has surprised everyone to break Australia’s drought in the men’s 100 metres freestyle final with a stunning come-from-behind victory.
The 18-year-old Chalmers was seventh at the halfway mark but stormed home in the final 50 metres to touch the wall at a personal best of 47.58 seconds.
Fellow Aussie Cameron McEvoy finished seventh with a time of 48.12, while Belgian Pieter Timmers (47.80) took home silver and defending champion Nathan Adrian (47.85) got bronze.
Fellow Aussie Cameron McEvoy congratulates Kyle Chalmers on his win.
Cameron McEvoy was not only gracious in defeat, he was generous.
Despite having high hopes to take out the event McEvoy was all class in his post-race chat with Channel Seven’s Nathan Templeton.
“Not the best [race]. My preparation was good all year round and it was probably just the last week or so I imagine that has probably thrown me,” McEvoy said.
“But enough about me. Kyle’s come in and done another PB on top of the PB he did at the [Olympic] trials. He’s just turned 18 and he’s an Olympic champion — that’s bloody wonderful isn’t it.”
Australia has not taken home gold in the event since 1968, when Michael Wenden won in Mexico City.
Chalmers – a school student at Adelaide’s Immanuel College – got a warm reaction from his classmates watching at home.
The blonde beauty revealed her desire to star in a Suicide Squad spin-off over mimosas with Hazel Hayes from Tipsy Talk.
As the two women discussed their favourite parts from the David Ayer directed film, Margot revealed her secret wish explore a more in-depth look into her and The Joker’s relationship with a spin-off.
“I’m trying to make that happen,” the 26-year-old said when asked if a sequel was in the works. “There’s just so much more to do.”
Margot goes on to explain that she hopes for a follow up to retell Harley Quinn’s fascinating yet dysfunctional bond with The Joker, played by Jared Leto.
Margot plays Harley Quinn, a former psychiatrist who is driven mad by her relationship with patient and famed villain The Joker.
“The Joker just refuses to acknowledge that he even has emotions or can feel any sort of positive emotions, so he turns it into this toxic thing.”
“There was so much of our backstory [but] they probably realised that the emotional through-line of the story had to be the mission we were on.”
The Neighbours alum was, of course, referring to the large chunk of cuts made to the pair’s screen time, and in particular Jared Leto’s which led Rolling Stone to refer to his 15 minute role as “a glorified walk-on”.
Jared’s role as The Joker was highly cut for the final edit.
Explaining the director’s decision to edit out the pair’s backstory from the final release, Margot said, “When we were filming, we probably got a bit too engrossed.”
“The backstory — though it was magic — they were flashbacks, they’re meant to be snippets. It didn’t make sense to confuse the present storyline with all that.”
Watch the Suicide Squad answer who is the most attractive member in the video player below! Post continues…
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And judging by Jared’s seemingly bitter feelings towards his scrapped scenes, we’re sure he would jump at the change to reprise the role.
“Were there any that didn’t get cut? There were so many scenes that got cut from the movie, I couldn’t even start.”
“I think that the Joker… we did a lot of experimentation on the set, we explored a lot. There’s so much that we shot that’s not in the film,” he said to IGN before things took a dark turn.
“If I die anytime soon, it’s probably likely that it’ll surface somewhere. That’s the good news about the death of an actor is all that stuff seems to come out.”
Despite poor reviews that followed from the film’s opening weekend, Suicide Squad set an August record at the box office in Australia, earning over $3.2 million on opening day.
From the swim king Mack Horton to the Australian women’s rugby seven’s team – the 2016 Rio Olympics are off to an incredible start for our green and gold competitors.
On Tuesday, the Australian rugby women’s team made history when they beat New Zealand 24-17 at Deodoro Stadium in Rio.
“It brings tears to my eyes. It shows everything that we’ve worked for. Everything my mum has sacrificed for me. Everything our girls’ families have sacrificed for them. We’ve just made Australian history, rugby history. It means everything,” Ellia Green said in the aftermath of their ground-breaking win.
On Wednesday, 18-year-old Adelaide local Kyle Chalmers was the name on everyone’s lips after he won gold in the 100m freestyle.
Click through the gallery to check out Australia’s medals so far!
Introducing your new king of the pool, Kyle Chalmers! The 18-year-old from Adelaide took away the gold medal in the 100m freestyle. The teenager clocked the incredibly quick time of 47.58 seconds. “It’s definitely still sinking in I have actually won, so it was a good race. It’s unbelievable, I’m only 18,” the awe-struck swimmer remarked afterwards.
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The Australian Women’s Rugby Sevens team lands gold after beating NZ 24-17.
“It brings tears to my eyes. It shows everything that we’ve worked for. We’ve just made Australian history, rugby history. It means everything,” Ellia Green said in the aftermath of their ground-breaking win. Watch the amazing moment the team win gold in the next slide. Gallery continues after the video!
Catherine Skinner shows off her gold medal after winning the women’s trap shooting. “Really, you’ve just got to keep going for it because it’s not uncommon for people to fall to pieces at the end,” the 26-year-old explained.
(L-R) Alec Potts, Ryan Tyack and Taylor Worth take to the podium to collect their bronze medals for the team archery.
Emma Mckeon, Brittany Elmslie, Bronte Campbell and Cate Campbell beam with pride alongside their gold medals for the women’s 4 x 100m freestyle relay final.
So in sync! Anabelle Smith and Maddison Keeney landed the bronze medal in the 3m synchronised diving.
Bronze medalists Kyle Chalmers, James Magnussen, James Roberts and Cameron McEvoy soak up the moment at the men’s 4x100m freestyle relay.
Attack of the Mack! Swimming’s new golden boy, Mack Horton, won Australia’s first gold medal in the pool at the Games thanks to his stellar performance in the 400m freestyle.
Prince George’s godfather Hugh Grosvenor has inherited billions and half of London after the death of his landowner and philanthropist father.
The 25-year-old’s father, Gerald Grosvenor, the Duke of Westminster, died suddenly in Lancashire on Tuesday after suddenly becoming ill on his Abbeystead Estate. He was 64.
According to Forbes the duke’s fortune was estimated at $10.8bn (USD) and he was ranked the 68th wealthiest person in the world.
Hugh now stands to inherit his late-father’s title, as well as his fortune – which many societal types reportedly joke includes ‘half the land in London’ – making him a remarkably wealthy young man.
The late-duke pictured with the Queen in 2004 following the wedding of his daughter Lady Tamara Grosvenor and Edward van Cutsem in Chester.
Despite the family’s affluence, Hugh – whose title is ‘Earl Grosvenor’ – and his three sisters, Lady Tamara, 36, Lady Edwina, 34 and Lady Viola, 23 are believed to have enjoyed a rather grounded upbringing, thanks to Gerald and his duchess wife, Natalia’s influence.
Uncommon for those in the aristocracy, Hugh did not go to boarding school. As a child he attended a local state primary school on The Wirral, close to the family home, and then private day school, Mostyn House before attending the co-ed Ellesmere College in Shropshire.
After growing up in virtual obscurity – expect for a lavish 21st birthday party rumoured to cost in the millions and attended by the likes of Prince Harry – the young account manager for a bio-fuels company is now touted as the most eligible bachelor in Britain after getting the bulk of his father’s fortune.
In July 2014 Hugh was named as one of Prince George’s godparents.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge selected seven people as godparent’s to their eldest child, including Zara Tindall, Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, Oliver Baker, Emilia Jardine-Paterson, Julia Samuel, William van Cutsem and the young earl.
Cute: Prince George at his christening in 2014.
The long-lasting links between the royal family and the Grosvenor family meant Hugh was not a surprise choice for godfather to George.
The late Duke of Westminster and Prince William’s father, the Prince of Wales had a friendship spanning decades, and Hugh’s sister, Lady Edwina, is Princess Diana’s god-daughter.
The late Duke of Westminster and the Prince of Wales were firm friends.
Prince Charles said he was “greatly saddened” by the death of his friend.
They say that around the world, there are six other people that look exactly like you.
And if you’re one of the five people in the world that looks exactly like a celebrity, then you’ve definitely hit the jackpot.
Which is totally the case for these 15 ordinary humans who struck gold in the celebrity similarity stakes.
From Ryan Gosling to Queen Elsa from Frozen, these regular Joes are the perfect doppelgangers.
Click through the gallery and see for yourself!
The Duchess of Cambridge will be surprised (and delighted) to discover that she an athletic twin competing at Rio! Kate’s doppelganger is 24-year-old French cyclist Pauline Ferrand-Prevot.
She may be 10 years younger than the royal, but fans can’t help but note the similarities. Baring blonde hair, the cyclist has the same eyes, pretty smile and Catherine’s signature dimples!
And it would appear the Olympics is home to the finest look alikes! From British royalty to Hollywood royalty. Brady Ellison, 27, is America’s archer. Not only taking home the silver medal, he also has been dubbed Oscar winner Leonardo DiCaprio’s doppelganger!
Last month he rose to fame thanks to his eerily similar features to Leonardo DiCaprio (inset) and now Russian resident Roman Burtsev (main) is showing his support for the star and his Oscar campaign with these hilarious spoofs on The Revenant.
The 33-year-old security guard is obviously crossing his fingers Leo scores the coveted golden statue next week. Roman has shared a slew of snaps of him dressed up as Leo’s character Hugh Glass from the gritty film.
This is the very photo that catapulted Roman into fame. Since then, he’s even scored his own reality TV show called Romance With DiCaprio about his day-to-day life.
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Leonardo DiCaprio’s look-alike hopes he wins the Oscar
Roman’s certainly not the only Leo twin. Introducing 21-year-old Swedish man Konrad Annerud, who looks a lot like Leo too. But it’s not all it’s cracked up to be. He told Nyheter24, “When I was in Italy this summer I almost felt like shaving my hair off, It was very chaotic; people were yelling ‘Leo’ and wanted to take photos with me all the time. It was one of the craziest things I’ve ever experienced.”
Bradley Cooper squared, could there be such a glorious thing?! Well, yes, there is! Thanks to some wonderful glitch in the matrix, American twins Matt and Scott Katzenbach look identical to the Hollywood heartthrob.
Cheekily calling themselves Cradley Boopers on Instagram, the brothers have amassed thousands of followers. And in January Matt even managed to get into Sundance Film Festival, with fans and officials none the wise that it wasn’t in fact Mr Cooper.
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19-year-old Olivia Sturgiss from New South Wales has the most uncanny resemblance to Taylor Swift. And as we expected, the blonde-beauty recently revealed to Woman’s Day that her new-found fame from looking like the world’s biggest star is “pretty mind-blowing.”
Olivia and her pal Kristy even got to meet the popstar at her Melbourne show over the weekend, which was a “dream come true” for the teenager.
10 points to Gryffindor! This girl is the spitting image of Emma Watson, AKA Hermione Granger.
Spot the difference! This UK lad has been stopped more than once by people mistaking him for Ed Sheeran.
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Harry Styles explains why “Thinking Out Loud” is his fave Ed Sheeran song and we’re struggling not t
The resemblance between this man and Michael C. Hall from Dexter is almost creepy.
Anyone who is a spitting image of Ryan Gosling is OK by us.
Wait, there’s another one? The world is truly a beautiful place.
18-year-old Anna Faith went viral this year because she’s a pretty good match for Queen Elsa from Frozen!
This girl and Scarlett Johansson could be sisters.
When you’re born looking like Angelina Jolie, you’ve hit the genetic jackpot.
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It’s hard to tell which of these women is Pitch Perfect star Anna Kendrick.
Calm down, Directioners! This isn’t Harry Styles – but he’s pretty close.
Wow! This girl looks just like Jane Krakowski.
Brown hair? Check. Side-eye? Double check. This young woman channels Aubrey Plaza perfectly.
We bet this guy gets a lot of people coming up to him and asking him about their bumps and lumps! He looks just like Hugh Laurie, AKA Dr House!
It’s in the eyes! James Franco’s doppelganger is pretty spot on.
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