City of Melbourne cracks down after spike in number of dog attacks

 Melburnians love man’s best friend: there are nearly 3500 registered dogs in our municipality, with that number expected to swell in tandem with our population. Dogs make wonderful companions and numerous studies have concluded that owning a dog is great for our health and general wellbeing.

Dog ownership also comes with responsibilities, which need to be taken seriously. Management of dog behaviour is one of the most important elements of that responsibility; failure to do so can have tragic consequences.

The City of Melbourne is cracking down on irresponsible pet owners in the wake of an increase in serious dog attacks.

There were five serious dog attacks on people and five on animals in the municipality in 2016-2017, up from one serious attack in 2015-2016 and three serious attacks in 2014-2015. Ten cases have either been finalised in court or are awaiting hearing and three others remain under investigation. We are convinced that this is the tip of the iceberg and many more attacks are unreported.

Seventy per cent of serious dog attacks in 2016-17 occurred in the residential areas of Kensington and North Melbourne. Other serious attacks took place in Carlton, Parkville and the CBD. Five people were seriously injured, four pets were killed and another dog seriously injured.

In most of these cases, the offending dogs were with their owners but not on leashes. You must have your dog on a leash unless the signage stipulates that you are in an off leash area. Owners face fines of up to $6342.80 and/or orders for the dog to be destroyed if the courts find their dog guilty of a serious attack.

Council officers are proactively patrolling the streets as well as the 480 hectares of open space in the municipality to ensure owners are doing the right thing.

South Yarra was a hot spot for owners caught with their dogs off leads. A third of overall infringements for dogs not under effective control ($155) in 2016-2017 were handed out in the on leash areas of Fawkner Park (which does have a designated off leash area).

Dangerous or restricted dogs are not always the culprits; breeds not generally associated with aggression have also attacked people or other dogs.

If you are the victim of a dog attack, please report it to the City of Melbourne immediately and try to ascertain as many details as you can from the dog’s owner as this will assist us in our compliance action.

Several City of Melbourne parks have off leash areas including Clayton Reserve, Fawkner Park, Gosch’s Paddock, JJ Holland Park, North Melbourne Recreation Reserve, Princes Park, Royal Park and Yarra Park.

It is also timely to remind dog owners that they must register their pets: whether they live in Melbourne or another municipality. We are currently continuing thorough checks for unregistered animals including follow-up communication with pet owners and targeted door knocks to check for unregistered pets. Pet owners face fines if their pet is found to be unregistered.

Our council officers will continue working to ensure the City of Melbourne remains a safe place for residents and a welcoming place for our four-legged friends.

The City of Melbourne’s website can tell you more about your obligations as a pet owner: http://www.melbourne.vic.gov.au/residents/pets/Pages/responsible-pet-ownership.aspx