Being a responsible pet owner means caring for your pet and following local council laws to keep your pet, your neighbours, and the community safe.

The following actions are essential to being a responsible pet owner:

1. Register and Microchip Your Pet

• All dogs and cats over three months old must be registered with the council.
• Microchipping is required before registration.
• Registrations must be renewed every year by 10 April (see pet registration details).

2. Desexing

• Desexing is encouraged and may be required unless you have a vet exemption.
• Desexed pets often qualify for discounted registration fees.

3. Keep Pets Contained

• Dogs must be securely confined to your property and on a leash in public, unless in designated off leash areas.
• Cats should be kept indoors or on your property, especially at night – see more details about our cat curfew.

4. Control Noise and Behaviour

• Prevent your dog from barking excessively.
• Don’t let your pet roam or cause a nuisance to others.

5. Clean Up After Your Pet

• Always pick up dog waste in public areas.
• Keep your pet’s living space clean and safe.

6. Limit the Number of Pets

• There are limits on how many animals you can keep on your property. Check with the council if you have multiple pets.

7. Lost or Found Pets

• Report lost or found animals to the council.
• Make sure your pet’s microchip details are up to date so they can be returned to you quickly.

1. increase dog and cat registration numbers
2. reduce the number of animals impounded
3. reduce dog nuisance complaints
4. minimise the risk to the community and to Council from aggressive dogs
5. identify and register all declared dogs in the municipality
6. effectively inspect and audit all declared dog premises annually to ensure they are following the keeping requirements
7. maintain up to date and relevant policy, procedure and education programs in relation to declared dogs
8. reduce percentage of registered dogs and cats that are currently entire and not part of a domestic animal breeding business each year
9. reduce the number of stray cats wandering
10. investigate all domestic animal businesses operating illegally in the municipality
11. provide great focus on responsible pet ownership education in more sustainable electronic formats
12. identify and register all domestic animal businesses in the municipality
13. annually inspect and audit all registered domestic animal businesses
14. establish and maintain ‘information kiosks’ in relevant domestic animal businesses and veterinary practices, to provide information on responsible pet ownership.

The Domestic Animals Act 1994 is a Victorian legislation that helps manage dogs and cats in the community and promoting responsible pet ownership. It requires pet owners to register and microchip their pets, keep them under control in public, and prevent them from causing problems like excessive barking or roaming.

The Act also sets rules for pet shops, breeders, and shelters, and gives local councils the power to enforce these rules, including dealing with dangerous or nuisance animals. Its main goal is to promote responsible pet ownership and protect both animals and the community.

In Greater Dandenong we have important wetlands and nature areas that are home to birds, reptiles, frogs, and other wildlife. Sadly, with overpopulation of cats comes with a large and negative impact they have one our environments and habitats.

Every year, we collect about 700 stray cats, but only around 7% are claimed by their owners. This means we must care of the rest, which costs about $216,000 a year.

Although urban pet cats kill fewer animals individually than wild cats in the bush, their high population density in cities means they collectively cause more harm to local wildlife.

To help us reduce the impact of the overpopulation of cats on our environment we introduced a cat curfew. This means that your cat must be confined to your property overnight (from dusk till dawn).

If a cat is trapped during curfew and picked up by officers, then the cat will be taken to a pound. If the cat is collected from a pound owners will have to pay a reclaim fee. Owners may also face other enforcement actions, such as a fine however in the first instance it will only be a warning.

To find our more visit: Cat Curfew | Greater Dandenong Council

We have a range of services for pet owners which include discounted registration fees for desexed pets and local regulations to protect your pet.

To find out more visit our website: Pets and Animals | Greater Dandenong Council