Dogs

A great number of homes in Vincent have furry family members and amongst pet owners many have chosen to share their homes and their lives with dogs.

Whether large or small, residents have embraced dog ownership (there are over 2,500 dogs registered in Vincent) and the City is committed to ensuring that both dogs and their masters and all other members of our community live in harmony.

The City's Rangers are involved in helping people to be responsible dog owners and are responsible for enforcing the local laws relating to animals.

Important Links

Dog Registrations

Responsible Dog Ownership

Your Dog & The Law

Dog Exercise Areas

Dogs in Public Places

Dangerous Dogs

Dog Barking

Dog Pound

Restricted Dog Breeds

Further Information

Contact Ranger Services on 9273 6000 or mail@vincent.wa.gov.au

After Hours Emergencies: (08) 9273 6061

Your Dog & The Law

Fencing requirements

Persons wishing to register a dog must make a declaration to certify that the fences and gates at the premises where the dog is kept are capable of confining the dog within those premises. Gates must have effective self-closing mechanisms.

Identification & registration tags

The dog's registration tag must be attached to the dog's collar. The name and residential address of the owner must also be legibly endorsed or inscribed on or attached to the collar. Should the dog be lost these tags will enable quick identification and notification to dog's owner.

Microchipping & registration

All dogs over 3 months of age must be both microchipped and registered. Microchipping is a small computer chip inserted under the dog's skin. This can not be removed, the details on the chip are recorded at the Australian Animal Registry. All dogs must be microchipped prior to sale regardless of age. Once microchipped it is still necessary to register your dog with the Council and have the registration tag and identification tag on the dog at all times. 

Excreta

Permitting your dog to excrete on a street or public place and failing to remove or adequately dispose of such excreta constitutes an offence under the City's Dogs Local Law 2007.

Maximum number of dogs

The City's Local Law relating to Dogs limits the number of dogs kept on the premises to two (2) dogs over the age of three (3) months and the young of those dogs under that age.  A person may apply to the City for an exemption to keep up to six (6) dogs over three (3) months of age or to become an approved kennel establishment subject to the premises' suitability and conditions applicable for the keeping of more than the prescribed numbers.

 

More Information

Contact Ranger Services on 9273 6000 or mail@vincent.wa.gov.au

DOGS IN PUBLIC PLACES

In late 2017, the City of Vincent amended its local dog law to allow dogs to enter public spaces. With the exception of indoor areas of cafes, bars and restaurants, dogs are also permitted in private businesses when granted permission by the business owner. Please look out for signage welcoming dogs into shopfronts, or simply ask the business owner if they allow dogs. For safety reasons, dogs are still not permitted at fenced-off children's playgrounds.

Please note, the following rules apply when bringing dogs into a dog-friendly business:

• Dogs must remain under control at all times, either held by a leash or securely tethered
• Dogs must be microchipped and registered, unless they are under three months of age
• Dogs must not distress other dogs or customers
• Business owners have the right to ask dog owners to remove their dog at any given time
• Dog owners are responsible for any and all mess created by their dog

Taking your dog to a shop or business

With the permission of the businesses owner you can take your dog with you to a business. The person in charge of the dog must have complete control over the dog at all times. Should the dog start causing a disruption, the business owner may revoke the permission at any time and you must leave. Your dog must also be registered and micro-chipped.

Dogs are not allowed at Beatty Park Leisure Centre or the City of Vincent Library. Dogs are permitted in the foyer area at the City of Vincent Administration Building as long as they are on a lead.

More Information

City of Vincent Local Laws

Dog Barking

Barking is a dog's natural means of communication and often signifies its alertness to danger or intruders. However, a dog that persistently barks in a manner which is not considered to be normally habitual in dogs constitutes a nuisance.

If a dog barks continually without reason, the cause may be lack of training, insufficient exercise, loneliness, inadequate shelter, ill health or deliberate or unintentional provocation by people or roaming dogs (Fact Sheet > Why does my dog bark?).

The City of Vincent fully appreciates that a barking dog can often severely disrupt people’s lives and can erode their quality of life. Most dog barking issues are solved by simple neighbourly communication but sometimes solving the issue of a barking dog can be a complex issue to deal with.

The laws and processes we need to follow relating to an alleged dog nuisance are prescribed by State legislation. The Dog Act 1976 states:

A person may lodge a complaint in a prescribed form with an authorised person, alleging that a dog is a nuisance. If an authorised person is satisfied that a dog is a nuisance as alleged in a complaint, the authorised person may issue an order to a person liable for the control of the dog requiring that person to prevent the behaviour that is alleged to constitute the nuisance by a time specified in the order.

What can I do about a barking dog?

 

Restricted Dog Breeds

In April 2002 legislation came into operation to deal specifically with Restricted Dog Breeds.

This is a brief summary of details contained in Dog (Restricted Breeds) Regulations 2002. For full details please refer to the legislation itself.

At present these breeds include:

• Dogo Argentino (also known as the Argentine Dogo or Argentinian Mastiff)
• Fila Brasileiro (also known as Brazilian Mastiff or Cao de Fila)
• Japanese tosa (also known as Tosa Inu, Tosa Fighting Dog or Japanese Fighting Dog)
• American pit bull terrier (also known as Pit Bull Terrier or American Pit Bull) and
• Pit bull terrier breeds. 

The regulations also provide for a restricted breed dog to include any dog of a mixed breed that visibly contains any of the above prohibited breeds. 

In December 2005 the Western Australian Government introduced new laws requiring so called 'fighting dogs' to be sterilised.

Whilst restricted breed dogs such as dogo Argentino, fila Brasileiro, Japanese tosa, Presa Canario and American pit bull are already banned by the Federal Government from importation into Australia, the State law bans the breeding of these dogs - both pure bred and mixed-breed (which visibly contain one of the restricted breed 'traits').

The laws require an owner to prove to an authorised person that their dog meets one of the following requirements:

• the dog has an ear tattoo showing that it has already been sterilised

or within a 24-hour period

• the owner produces a certificate from a veterinary surgeon showing that the dog has been previously sterilised (or is recovering from treatment and would suffer if sterilised at that time, or has a condition which would cause the dog to die) or
• that the dog is under the age of 6 months.

Pictorial representations of the restricted dog breeds follow. It should be noted that these pictures are representations only and that there will be variations.

Dangerous Dogs

The City is concerned that such dogs exist in our community and it is important that the public, and particularly those with young children, be aware and also be very vigilant when in the proximity of such large dogs. The City can declare a dog as a “Dangerous Dog” under the Dog Act 1976. Not all large dogs are declared a Dangerous Dog – only those that attack or persistently chase other people or dogs. It also depends on the severity of the attack.

Once declared a Dangerous Dog, the Dog Act 1976 requires the owner to take more responsibility and appropriate action to ensure that the dog’s capacity to cause further harm is minimised and the risk to the community is significantly reduced. The stringent requirements include:

• The dog must wear a specific reflective collar at all times (red and yellow striped)
• It must be on a leash and muzzled at all times in a public place
• The property where the dog resides must be enclosed so it cannot escape
• There must also be adequate signage at the entrance to the property to warn people that there is a Dangerous Dog on the premises

If these requirements are not met, the City will take further action. If the dog offends again after being declared a Dangerous Dog then all potential fines and penalties automatically double. The City has also recommended that owners of Dangerous Dogs carry out behavioural training for their dog in order to mitigate any undesirable traits which the dog has. 

If the City deems a Dangerous Dog as a serious danger, action may be taken to obtain a warrant under the Dog Act 1976 for the seizure and destruction of the dog. In some cases, the City will recommend that the owner surrenders the Dangerous Dog to the Rangers for euthanasia. 

Further Information

Ranger Services
9273 6000 or mail@vincent.wa.gov.au

After Hours Emergencies: (08) 6324 0329