Guide - Dogs and Cats
Dogs at home - your responsibilities
Dogs must be adequately confined to your property with an escape-proof fence and a closed gate. If your dog is found wandering you face heavy penalties (in excess of $150; these penalties are higher if the dog is found wandering at night). You also face pound fees (in excess of $110).
Dogs are best kept in your back yard, as common law requires you to provide safe access for visitors to the front door of your property. This includes not being stopped by your dog.
Dog attacks
If your dog attacks someone - outside your property, or trying to reach your property, you are legally and financially responsible for all damages.
You will also face fines, plus your dog could be destroyed or declared dangerous for the rest of its life.
Dogs that are declared dangerous in the City of Monash are required to be:
- confined in a child-proof enclosure
- muzzled and under effective control on a leash at all times while off the owner's property
- identified by a special collar and warning signs at the owner's premises
A dog can also be declared a 'menacing dog' if it has rushed at or chased a person without provocation.
(A dog is unlikely to be declared dangerous or menacing if it was being teased, abused or assaulted, the victim was trespassing or someone known to the dog was being attacked by the victim.)
DNA Testing Uncovers Guilty Dog
Barking dogs
Neighbours who do lodge a formal complaint about the barking of your dog will be asked to keep a diary recording the frequency and time of the barking.
If, after reviewing the information, the Council regards the dog's behaviour to be unreasonable, the owner may be requested to take steps to minimise the problem, receive an infringement notice or face prosecution. In this instance, the complainant will be required to give evidence in Court.
Dog poo - your responsibility
Dog poo is a major contributor to pollution in our waterways and the bay. It is unpleasant, a major nuisance, and a potential health hazard when left in parks, on nature strips, other public areas and unfenced front yards.
Dog owners are required to clean up after their dog and are required, when walking their dog outside their property, to carry a bag or other means to pick up and to dispose of the droppings in a suitable bin or container.
Dog owners who fail to clean up after their dog could face a fine in excess of $100 on the spot or in excess of $500 if the matter is taken to court. This is one of the most frequent complaints regarding dogs which are received by Council.
Dogs and children
Dogs and children have a special relationship. By living with and caring or a dog, children learn about responsibility and develop nurturing and caring skills.
But there are risks. Young children are most often bitten by dogs they know - their own, a friend's or a neighbour's.
Young children under 5 are the most vulnerable.
Dogs and young kids should always be supervised. As a pack animal, your dog sees itself at a certain position in the pecking order and may attempt to assert its place by biting. If provoked, hurt or frightened, a dog of any breed may bite a child.
Cats behaving badly
Cats can behave like a family member but they are also predatory by nature. When allowed to roam outdoors, particularly at night, they can attack wildlife, particularly birds, get hit by cars, be injured or injure other cats, and transmit diseases such as feline AIDS through fighting.
They can also spray, howl and annoy neighbours, especially during mating season. Your neighbours can seize your cat if it has entered their property more than once without their permission, and must then notify Council. If you don't take reasonable action to prevent your cat from entering the property again you will face heavy penalties.
If the cat is impounded you also face pound fees.
Why you should desex your pet
Council offers significantly reduced registration fees or dogs and cats that are desexed. There are many advantages in de-sexing your pet, including reducing the risk of unwanted puppies/kittens.
Desexed animals may be less prone to wander, less likely to spray to mark territory, less likely to develop aggressive tendencies, and of course are less inclined to go in search of a mate.
Pets from 8 weeks of age can be desexed through an operation by a vet, and most pets, particularly young ones, fully recover within 24 hours.
Microchipping
The RSPCA, which provide Council's animal management services and rangers under contract, are equipped with a micro-chip reader that will identify a dog or cat with an implant as soon as it is collected or brought into the pound. The owner of the lost animal can then be quickly identified and contacted.
For more information on microchipping or registering your pet phone 9518 3445.
Illustrations supplied by Department of Natural Resources and Environment.
Updated: 24 February 2009
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