PUBLIC NOTICE ANIMAL MANAGEMENT – COMPLIANCE BLITZ

Throughout Queensland, local governments are dealing with dog attacks or breaches of the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 (QLD) or local laws due to irresponsible pet and property owners.

All Queensland Councils have expressed their concerns regarding animal management. Laws may change in the event of serious injury or fatality due to dog attack in light if a recent death due to dogs attack of an Ergon metre reader in the Redland area and the injuring (requiring hospitalisation) of a number of young children due to dog attacks elsewhere in Queensland. Therefore, Council seeks all dog owners and residents to carefully read this notice and comply with it.

This Public Notice is to advise the community of relevant details regarding animal management and that a compliance blitz will commence from Monday 8 May 2023.

Council has received and acted upon complaints about dogs wandering at large and dangerous dogs. Council has been very disappointed that dog owners are being so irresponsible by not ensuring that if their pet leaves their property, it is on a leash and under the control of a person who can control the animal as required by law in this Shire (and every Council for its Local Government Area (LGA) in Queensland).

Local Law No 2 expressly states at Section 14: A person who keeps an animal must maintain a proper enclosure to prevent the animal from wandering or escaping from the person’s land. Maximum penalty for subsection (1)—20 penalty units. (2) The local government may, by subordinate local law, prescribe requirements for a proper enclosure for an animal or species or breed of animal. (3) The owner of the animal must ensure that it is not wandering at large.

Council reminds the community that it is prohibited to keep any of the following breeds anywhere in the Shire (local government area): American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier; dogo Argentino; fila Brasileiro; Japanese tosa; Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario.

It is prohibited to keep more than 2 dogs over the age of 12 weeks in any Multiple Dwelling Premises; to keep more than 2 dogs over the age of 12 weeks on an allotment with an area less than or equal to 600m2.

The community is reminded that you must obtain Council approval to keep 1 or 2 dogs over the age of 12 weeks in any Multiple Dwelling Premises; to keep 2 dogs over the age of 12 weeks on an allotment with an area less than or equal to 600m2; to keep 3 or more dogs over the age of 12 weeks on an allotment with an area greater than 600m2.

Council is not responsible for the care and control of animal/s. Dog owners are. You can only have a dog as the law permits and like all living beings, you must care for your pet and keep them safe and secure.

Council has had enough of packs of wandering dogs off leads or leashes and so too have the lawabiding members of the community. Council is also fed up with having to deal with vicious dog attacks. 

Letting your dog off leash /lead to roam and defecate is not on. You must have your dog on a lead and must clean up after it. Council does not want members of the community to be walking around the Shire having to deal with dog faeces in our parks, foreshore and pathways.

It is also very disrespectful to our staff who have worked hard to provide community amenity and who are left to clean up this faeces. Local Law No 2 Section 13 requires that: If a dog or any other animal prescribed by subordinate local law defecates in a public place, the person who has control of the dog or animal must immediately remove and dispose of the faeces in a sanitary way.
Council will continue to enforce the local laws that are publicly accessible on the Council website and have been accessible for the past 10 years.

Accordingly, Council is committed to keeping the community safe and making it possible for families, the elderly, young children, indeed everybody to move round the Shire without fear of injury or attack. Council also wants to publicly acknowledge and thank responsible dog owners in the Shire.

Council has provided this Notice so that the community is aware that if there is/are any dog or groups of dogs off leash, they will be impounded and the dog owner (if known) will be notified and must pay a pound fee, sustenance fee, and if the dog is not registered, a registration fee. The dog owner (if known) will have 3 days to retrieve their dog, if their dog is not registered, and 5 days if their dog is registered, after which Council has the lawful ability to do what it deems appropriate with the animal. Council will not be impounding animals as a substitute dog minding service. If the dog is not collected within the specified time, Council will take action that it sees fit to deal with the animal. Equally, if any of the local laws are breached regarding the number of animals in the residence or that the dog/s have not been de-sexed, Council will take action. Council will issue on-the-spot fines if dog owners are witnessed failing to clean up after their animal.

De-sexing

Local Law No. 2 requires all dogs and cats to be desexed before the age of 3 months, unless a person is a member of a recognised breeders’ association and has applied to Council for an exception to the desexing requirement. Fines apply for failing to comply with this requirement.

Declaration of dangerous dog

Council has the power to declare a particular dog to be a menacing or dangerous dog subject to certain legal requirements. Additional requirements apply to keep a declared dangerous or menacing dog, including fencing and signage requirements. Prior to making a declaration, Council will provide the registered owner with a proposed declaration notice, which gives the owner an opportunity to respond to the proposed declaration. The registered owner will have 14 days to make written representations in response to the declaration notice.

Destruction Orders

The Local Law No 2 allows an authorised person to make a destruction order under certain circumstances, stating that Council intends to destroy an animal within 14 days after the order is served on the registered owner. The registered owner will have an opportunity to make a review application of the destruction order within the 14 day time-period. If there is no registered owner and the owner is unknown, Council will destroy the animal.

Dalassa Yorkston

Chief Executive Officer