May 15, 2019
The cost of Council’s upcoming dog blitz in the South Burnett will be paid for by the fines and registration fees it recovers.
At Wednesday’s monthly general meeting Councillors approved this year’s inspection program, which will start on Monday, June 10, and conclude on Friday, November 29.
Inspectors will be going house to house across the region between 9:00am and 5:00pm on weekdays and/or Saturdays, searching for unregistered dogs.
The inspections will start with properties that have outstanding dog registrations before fanning out.
Under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, the owners of all dogs over the age of 12 weeks are required to register their animals with Council.
Annual registration fees for dogs kept in South Burnett town areas range from $15.00 for pensioners with desexed, microchipped dogs up to $155.00 for entire dogs.
Dogs in rural areas can be registered for between $9.00 and $25.00 per year.
The only exemption is if a dog is defined as a “working dog” and fulfils the requirements listed in the Act.
To gain this exemption, owners must lodge a statutory declaration with Council and pay an $8.00 fee for a special tag.
The Act aims to ensure effective management of dogs and promote responsible ownership and breeding, but the State Government has passed the obligation of enforcing the Act on to councils.
During last year’s blitz, inspectors found between 20 and 30 unregistered dogs per day, which resulted in 481 new dog registrations.
It also meant 130 dog owners were fined $261 each for keeping unregistered dogs.
There are currently about 4000 registered dogs in the South Burnett.
Council officers said the “churn rate” of dogs, ie. dogs that die or whose owners move out of the area, is about 1200 per year.
This forces them to undertake regular inspection programs to keep records up-to-date.
At Wednesday’s meeting, officers forecast that based on the results of the past two years’ blitzes, the cost of the latest crackdown will be offset by new registrations and fines.
Footnote: South Burnett Regional Council put an end to cat registrations in October 2013 after the State Government amended the Act to make them non-compulsory.
Interesting! SBRC charge for dog rego, why, when they do not do much in return? Some time ago a local dog frequently aggressively chased me, mainly because the owners were too slack to keep him in and he was excitable. After numerous complaints nothing was resolved. This went on for more than FIVE years and was only resolved when the dog owners moved out. This tells me the Council wants the money but will do nothing of any substance for it.
Too hard, eh? Don’t pay rego, then watch out, many threats given.
Also there are two nearby shires which have no-cost rego for dogs that are desexed and microchipped. This requirement proves the owners are serious about looking after their dogs properly.
What is the local Council thinking or are they not capable of thinking of this?
If you live in Murgon or Wondai it is almost mandatory to own dogs for warning of possible intruders both day and night. How else are the residents expected to cope without a real good, reliable warning system and possible deterrent? Shame on you councillors for your money-grabbing activities. It is not cheap to properly keep dogs.
Now comparing cats and dogs!
I’m not a cat hater but let’s be reasonable. Cats have no rego control.
Mostly dogs are kept in their yards or controlled when out. They don’t climb trees to get young birds to eat or climb fences. Cats do if not controlled properly.
They also love to defecate in other people’s gardens and really love to spray urine around all over outside furniture and verandahs etc.
Fences cannot keep them out. If the owners don’t love and look after them they are nothing but ferals.
Council, what do you think about that or is it another ‘too hard’??