Council reminds dog owners of their responsibilities
Wingecarribee Shire Council is reminding dog owners of their responsibilities after a spate of recent dog incidents across the Shire.
“Over the last few months we’ve recorded a rise in the number of calls to respond to loose dogs, aggressive and unregistered animals,” said Council’s Manager of Environmental Assessment, Les Pawlak.
Some of the most recent incidents involve escaped dogs threatening and destroying livestock.
“Council takes dog offences very seriously and we remind dog owners that breaches of the Companions Animals Act of 1998 attract severe penalties,” he said.
Under the Act owners of dogs are required to:
- Have their dog identified from 12 weeks of age and before sale
- Have their dog or cat registered for life from six months of age
- Have a collar and tag worn by the dog
- Prevent the dog from escaping the property from which it is kept, and
- Be under effective control whilst in a public place
As a result of the increase in complaints Rangers have received from the general public, Council intends on lobbying local state members for amendments to the Companions Animals Act. Amendments sought include the imposition of stricter guidelines on the ownership of dangerous and restricted dog breeds and enforcing even harsher penalties for breaches of the Act.
The warning comes after the August dog attack in Victoria with attracted national headlines.
“We never want to see a repeat of the tragic dog-mauling incident that occurred in Melbourne in this country again let alone our Shire.”