Dogs
Responsible Dog Ownership
Owning a dog is a huge responsibility and it is up to you to ensure that your dog is given the attention and affection they deserve, and that they are well trained so they won't be a nuisance or hurt others.
Our responsibility as the Shire is to encourage you to be responsible with your ownership through the various measures below. We also have a responsibility to ensure there isn't any mistreatment or abuse of dogs, and to follow up complaints on nuisance dog behaviour and dog attacks.
Legislation
The Shire administers the ownership of dogs through the Dog Act 1976, Dog Regulations 2013, and the various amendments to the Dog Act from the Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Act 2021 (only some portions of the Dog Amendment Act are in force currently). Additional laws are drafted under the local law Dogs Local Law 2016.
External Link: Dog Act 1976
External Link: Dog Regulations 2013
External Link: Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Act 2021
Link: Dogs Local Law 2016
Registration
Prerequisites
The Act sets out the requirements for dog owners to register their dogs with the local government they reside within. All dogs that have reached three months of age must be:
- Microchipped; and
- Registered with the relevant local government.
When applying for registration, you must bring proof of your dog being microchipped as provided by your vet. If your dog is not microchipped, you must provide a certificate of exemption, also provided by your vet. Microchipping is mandatory and we reserve the right to refuse dog registrations without a mircochip.
Sterilisation is not mandatory currently but the Dog Amendment (Stop Puppy Farming) Act 2021 will make sterilisation at two years of age mandatory sometime in 2025. In the meantime, if you provide proof of sterilisation your registration and renewal fees are discounted.
You or your delegate must be 18 years or older otherwise we cannot register your dog.
Applications
The annual period for dog registrations are from 1 November through to 31 October of the following year (this is aligned with cat registrations). Remaining registration years tick down on 31 October regardless of when in the year you registered your dog. Therefore your first year of registration will always be shorter than a full year, unless you register in November month.
Current registration periods the Shire provides are:
- 1-year;
- 3-years;
- lifetime; and
- carried over from previous local government.
If you have moved to Lake Grace and have brought your dog over, you can request to transfer the remaining registration duration from your previous local government to this one. Please let us know on the Dog Registration form and we will contact that local government to confirm the expiry date of your existing registration. Transferal of dog registrations in this way carries no fees.
1-year registrations done after 31 May are discounted to compensate for the reduced duration the registration has effect. This discount is not applicable to 3-year and lifetime registration periods.
After payment of a new registration or transferal from a previous local government, you will be issued with a unique ID pet tag. Registration renewals also come with a new tag, which you will need to pick up from the Shire front office. Your dog is required to wear a collar and the issued pet tag.
Dangerous Dogs can only be registered for 1-year periods (you can only have annual renewals). Please see further down for the section covering Dangerous Dogs.
Renewal notices will be sent out a few weeks before the registrations lapse.
Link: Dog Registration Form
Fees & Charges
Dog registration fees are set by Legislation. All other fees are set by the Shire. Discounts are applied multiplicatively.
| Registration Fees for non-Dangerous Dogs |
Sterilised |
Unsterilised |
| 1-year registration, between 31 May and 30 October |
$10.00 |
$25.00 |
| 1-year registration at any other time |
$20.00 |
$50.00 |
| 1-year renewal |
$20.00 |
$50.00 |
| 3-year registration or renewal |
$42.50 |
$120.00 |
| Lifetime |
$100.00 |
$250.00 |
| 1-year registration or renewal for dogs kept in an approved kennel |
$200.00 for first dog, free afterwards |
$200.00 for first dog, free afterwards |
| Owner is pensioner |
50% discount |
50% discount |
| Dog used for droving/tending stock (Working Dog) |
75% discount |
75% discount |
| Registration Fees for Dangerous Dogs |
|
Fee |
| 1-year registration or renewal |
|
$50.00 |
| Kennels |
| Application to establish a new kennel |
|
$50.00 |
| Annual license for 10 or fewer dogs |
|
$100.00 |
| Annual license for more than 10 dogs |
|
$150.00 |
| Pound |
| Impound fee |
|
$70.00 |
| Pound sustenance fee, per day |
|
$20.00 |
| Destruction or disposal |
|
At Cost |
| Miscellaneous |
| Dog tag replacement |
|
$1.00 |
Working Dogs
If you plan on using your dogs for the purposes of droving or tending to stock, you may apply for a concession on your registration fees by submitting a Working Dog Declaration at the same time as the Dog Registration form.
If you have already registered your dogs, and later plan to declare them as working dogs, the concession will only applied to the renewal fee (after the duration of your current dog registration lapses). No partial refunds are given for existing registrations (this also means that if you have a lifetime registration, there is no way to claim a Working Dog concession on it later as there are no renewal fees to be paid).
Link: Working Dog Declaration
Dangerous Dogs
Classes of Dangerous Dogs
There are three classifications of Dangerous Dog. Different restrictions are placed upon you as the owner depending on the class. A dog can have more than one classification applied to them.
- Commercial Security Dog: Your dog is being used to defend or protect a premises that is not a residential dwelling;
- Dangerous Dog (Declared): Your dog has been declared dangerous by the Shire or a ranger as a result of reported attacks or damage, or has a history of threatening behaviour;
- Restricted Breed Dog: Your dog's breed is, or is mixed with, one of the following:
- Argentinean fighting dog (dogo Argentino),
- Brazilian fighting dog (fila Brasileiro),
- Japanese tosa,
- American pit bull terrier,
- pit bull terrier breeds,
- Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario,
- any other breed prohibited by the Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956.
Restrictions on Keeping
Keeping a Dangerous Dog comes with additional precautions and restrictions that must be observed for the safety of others.
- All Dangerous Dogs are required to wear a collar at all times of alternating red and yellow stripes set in a diagonal direction, and with one of the colours being florescent so it can be visible in the darkness. The collar itself must support a leash of high strength up to 2 metres long such that the dog can be controlled/restrained.
- All Dangerous Dogs must be kept in a secure enclosure that prevents escape, cannot be opened without permission from the owner, and the enclosure designed such that a child younger than 7 years old cannot enter or stick any part of their body into the enclosure.
- All Dangerous Dogs when outside of their secure enclosure must have a muzzle placed on them, and always be held by a sufficiently strong leash (up to 2 metres) by an adult capable of controlling/restraining them, or temporarily tethered to a solid fixing.
- Any premises that keeps a Dangerous Dog must have signage warning that a Dangerous Dog is kept at the premises.
- It is a fineable offense to have this sign displayed at a premises that does not keep a Dangerous Dog.
- Restricted Breed Dogs must be sterilised if over the age of 3 months, but if they cannot be sterilised for medical reasons they cannot be allowed to breed.
- Puppies that are of a Restricted Breed, or mixed with one, that are under 3 months old cannot be kept except by licensed kennels (must be surrendered).
Update of Information
If you change your address, transfer ownership of your dog to another person or organisation, or your dog has passed away, you will need to let us know so that we can update our records. This can be done through a Pet Update Form (which can also be used for cats).
Link: Pet Status Update Form
Ownership Transfer
If you find yourself in a situation where you need to transfer the ownership of your dog to another person, whether for free or for commerce, it is the responsibility of the original owner to inform us and the microchip company the details of the new owner (name, address and contact information) within seven (7) days of the transfer. This can be done in the Pet Status Update Form above.
Restricted Breed Dogs cannot be transferred or sold unless under special circumstances. Dangerous Dogs (Declared) and Commercial Security Dogs can be transferred or sold as normal, provided they are also not a Restricted Breed Dog and the new owner is over 18 years old.
Maximum Number of Dogs
Under our Local Law, you are not allowed to keep more than two (2) dogs over the age of three months at your property, or four (4) if you live outside of town. You may request to have this maximum lifted up to six (6) dogs through a Multipet Permit Application, but we will need to be satisfied that your house has the required space and amenities to not be a nuisance or dangerous to you or your dogs' health. Additionally the exemption will come with conditions for housing the dogs, as determined by our Ranger.
Dogs that are under three months of age do not count against this maximum; when your dog gives birth to a litter, the puppies are counted with the mother as a single dog for the purposes of registration until they reach three months of age.
Dangerous Dogs have a separate maximum limit; you cannot keep more than a total of two (2) Dangerous Dogs (Declared) or Restricted Breed Dogs at a premises (in town or otherwise) and this cannot be increased by a Multipet Permit. Commercial Security Dogs do not count towards this Dangerous Dog maximum limit and are treated as regular dogs. Any Dangerous Dogs kept also count towards the regular maximum dog limit.
The maximum dog limit does not apply if you are operating a veterinary service, a pet shop, or are a running a kennel registered with us. It does still applies if you are a dog breeder (you are counted as a dog breeder even if you did not have any intention of letting your dog give birth or got another dog pregnant).
Link: Multipet Permit Application
Nuisance Dogs
You may inform us of nuisance behaviour of dogs so that we can follow up with the owner to rectify that behaviour. Nuisance behaviours include, but are not limited to:
- Wandering dogs, on the street or around other private property;
- Dogs causing damage such as digging holes or scratching objects;
- Dogs habitually barking in the middle of the night;
- Dogs urinating on your private property or assets;
- Dogs leaving excrement in public spaces or other private property, or the owner not cleaning up after their dogs.
We encourage you to speak to the owner of the dog first to see if the issue can be resolved, as owners may be unaware that their dog is causing a nuisance. If discussions do not lead to an acceptable resolution, you may then contact us to follow up.
Before we take any action, the ranger must undertake an investigation to see if the behaviour reported is a genuine nuisance (causing more disruption than ordinarily expected of a dog). If the nuisance in question is excessive barking, you will be asked to keep a Barking Dog Diary for 7 days at minimum.
Please note that the Shire can only investigate nuisances after receiving a written complaint. Complaints in other forms--such as those floating around on social media--will not be pursued.
Dog Attacks
If you or your pet has been attacked by a dog, or you felt like you or your pet were in danger of being attacked by a dog, please get in touch with us at the Shire immediately. We will ask you to fill out a Dog Attack Statement and your report will be followed up by our ranger.
After an investigation if the ranger finds that the dog has caused damage or injury, the ranger or Shire may declare the dog as Dangerous, issue an infringement notice and recommendation for further action, seize the dog from the owner, or in the worst case scenario order the destruction of the dog.
Please note that the Shire can only investigate dog attacks after receiving a written complaint. Complaints in other forms--such as those floating around on social media--will not be pursued.
Helpful Links
Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries - Cats & Dogs
Department of Local Government, Sports and Cultural Industries - Stop Puppy Farming
RSPCA