Dangerous & menacing dogs

Dogs that have been involved in dog attacks, or incidents that have caused fear, can be declared dangerous or menacing by Council.

There are also specific breeds of dogs that the Australian Government has banned from being brought into the country.

Collectively these animals are known as 'regulated' dogs.

Owning a regulated dog

You must have a permit from Council to own a regulated dog.

All regulated dogs must be microchipped, wear an identification tag, and be kept in a prescribed enclosure with an approved sign displayed.

A regulated dog must be kept under effective control at all times and must be muzzled when taken out in public.

Registration fees for regulated dogs are considerably higher, at $511 a year.

Declared dangerous dogs

An authorised Council officer can declare a dog to be dangerous if the dog:

• Has seriously attacked or caused fear to a person or another animal, or
• May, in the opinion of that officer, seriously attack or cause fear to a person or another animal.

A declared dangerous dog must be desexed.

Declared menacing dogs

Dogs that display menacing or aggressive behaviour may progress to harmful behaviour. The menacing dog classification was introduced to address this risk.

An authorised Council officer can declare a dog to be menacing if the dog:

• Has attacked or caused fear to a person or another animal, or
• May, in the opinion of that officer, attack or cause fear to a person or another animal.

Restricted dogs

A restricted dog is a breed of dog that is prohibited from being imported into Australia under the Customs Act 1901.

Currently these breeds include:

• dogo Argentino,
• Japanese tosa,
• fila Brasileira,
• Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canario) and
• American pit bull terrier (or pit bull terrier).

You are required to have a permit to keep a restricted dog and all restricted dogs must be desexed.