Dogs
Need the ranger?
Contact us on 5261 0600, even after hours.
Where to walk your dogs
All dogs are required to be on a leash in all public places in township areas unless it is a designated off leash area.
Dogs can be walked on Bells Beach, but must be on a leash at all times.
Find out more about where you can walk your dog on and off lead.
Register your dogs
Pet registration is a legal requirement under the Domestic Animal Act 1994.
All dogs must be microchipped and registered and must wear a registration tag. This will help return lost and wandering dogs to their owners.
More on pet registration
Pick up after your dogs
Pick up the poo! When you walk, take a bag with you, pickup after your dog and put it in the bin. Dog poo is a health hazard to you, your pet and the amount of animal waste on our walking paths, parks and beaches is an avoidable environmental issue.
Learn more about being a responsible dog owner
Barking dogs
It’s frustrating when you have dog in the neighbourhood that barks a lot.
Sometimes the problem can be solved by simply talking to your neighbours – they may not know the barking is causing a problem, especially if their dog is only barking when they aren’t home.
There’s lots of reasons dogs bark (it’s rarely for no reason at all) including:
- Lack of exercise
- Boredom
- Loneliness
- Inadequate shelter from weather conditions
- Hungry or thirsty
- Medical condition
- Provocation
- Disturbance
- Change to family structure
- Change to territory
- Trouble like intruders (human or animal) or fire
If you need help managing your barking dog, check with your veterinarian or contact a dog obedience club or behaviouralist.
How to report a barking dog
Once you’ve identified the address of the barking dog, talk to the owner.
If they aren't responsive and you'd like to take it further, keep a diary of the dog’s barking habits for 2 weeks using our noise nuisance complaint diary. Note the date, time and duration of barking, and the reason, if known, as well as the effect the dog’s barking is having on you.
- Forward the complaint diary and a letter of complaint that has been supported and co-signed by at least one other neighbour who is also affected by the barking.
- Continue to keep the diary of the dog’s barking habits for a further month. This will monitor whether the problem continues or improves as a result of any action taken.
Once we receive your letter and diary, we will:
- appoint an officer to investigate your complaint
- study the diary for barking patterns with the intention of revealing the reason for the dog’s barking.
- identify whether other residents are being affected by the dog’s barking.
- advise the dog owner of the complaint, discuss possible solutions and inform them of their responsibilities, the offences and penalties.
The Council can issue any or all of the following:
- verbal warning to dog owner
- written letter of warning
- issue a Notice to Comply to abate all nuisance noise immediately.
If the owner fails to comply with the notice, Council may issue an infringement notice against them.
If they still don’t address the noise, Council may proceed with legal action against the dog owner. If the Magistrates Court makes a court order, the dog owner must comply or there will be further penalties.
NOTE: An infringement notice or legal proceeding will not be issued against the dog owner unless the complainant is prepared to give testimony in the Magistrates Court.
We’d prefer it didn’t go that far, of course. If there’s a barking dog causing stress in your neighbourhood, talk to the owner. If you are the owner of a barking dog and can’t seem to fix the issue, seek professional advice.