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On Tuesday the 9th of April this wide ranging Act will become law in Victoria. Its provisions will effect all dog and cat owners. It will protect cats and dogs, and include measures to deal with nuisance animals and dangerous dogs.

Compulsory Registration and Identification of Cats & Dogs

All cats and dogs over the age of six months must be registered with your local Council. Owner who fail to do this face fines of up to $500 for each unregistered animal.

Registration fees vary from council to council. If your pet is desexed; dog obedience trained to an acceptable standard; or permanently identified by mircochip, substantially reduced fees will usually apply. Contact your council for details.

If you buy a cat or dog from a pet shop, or anyone else whose business involves the sale of pets, be aware that the seller has a Legal Obligation to inform your local council of the sale. Be sure therefore to register your new pet without delay.

Your Council will issue tags when you register your pets. Use them! Over 90% of lost dogs, and virtually 100% of lost cats, carry no identification. They cannot therefore be returned by a Finder, a Council or an Animal Shelter to their owners. Unless those owners search for them.

There are many ways that owners can do this. See our Missing Pets section on dogshome.com separate leaflet for suggestions. Meanwhile, under the new laws, stray dogs and cats must be kept in pounds for at least eight days.

Please realise that although your aren’t legally bound to register or tag a pup or kitten under 12 weeks old, you should still give them some form of identification.

We strongly recommend that you register your animals, even the very youngest pups and kittens, on the Home’s National Pet Register. Each animal is issued with a tag which carries a toll free number and a computerised registration number. Of course registration on the National Pet Register is an EXTRA safeguard. It does not mean that mature dogs and cats need not be registered with their Local Council.

RESPONSIBLE OWNERSHIP LAWS

You must never allow a dog to wander at large outside of the boundaries of your property. Outside the home dogs must be walked on lead at all items except in designated areas where dogs may exercise off lead under owner supervision and voice control. Your Council will tell you where to find such areas, and under what conditions you may use them. Ignoring these rules could mean fines of up to $500 per offence.

Owners must now prevent their dogs or cats from becoming a nuisance to neighbours by their unwanted presence on their property. Repeat incidents of such nuisances may incur fines of up to $300. The Home recommend keeping cats indoors or in “cat runs” during the night, for their own sake and yours.

Councils can declare certain dogs as dangerous. This applies to those which cause serious injuries to a person or an animal, or if, like guard dogs, they are trained to be aggressive. Special conditions apply to the ownership of such dogs.

Be aware too that you can be fined up to $500 if your dog rushes at, attacks, bites, worries, or chases any person or animal, even if no injuries result.

CONLUSION

If you want to know more about how the new law will effect you, ask your local Council for a copy of it’s own local laws and regulations on pet ownership. If you are really keen, buy a copy of the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 from Information Victoria.

For more information, visit www.pets.info.vic.gov.au.

Dr Graeme Smith
Managing Director
The Lost Dogs´ Home