Dangerous Dogs

Responsibilities of Owning a Dangerous Dog

Responsibilities of owning a dangerous dog include:

Enabling a dog that displays unreasonable aggression or a dog that is kept or used for the purposes of hunting to be declared a dangerous dog under the NSW Companion Animals Act (dogs used or kept for the purpose of locating, flushing, pointing or retrieving birds or vermin are excluded);

Increasing penalties for some offences under the Act (particularly in relation to dangerous and restricted dogs);

Prohibiting the sale (which includes giving away) and the acquisition of dangerous dogs in the same way as restricted dogs cannot be sold or acquired;

Enabling a dangerous or restricted dog to be seized and immediately destroyed if the dog attacks or bites without provocation or if the enclosure or muzzling requirements have not been complied with on two separate occasions over a 12 month period; Requiring the owner of a dangerous or restricted dog to obtain a certificate of compliance in relation to the enclosure in which the dog is required to be kept (this includes the owners of existing dangerous or restricted dogs);

Requiring a dog owner generally to take reasonable precautions to prevent the dog from escaping from the property on which it is kept;

Enabling authorised officers of councils to make declarations under the Act in relation to dangerous dogs instead of the council itself having to make such a declaration.

From 1 July 2020 owners of dogs of a restricted breed or formally declared to be dangerous will be required to pay a $195 annual permit in addition to their one-off lifetime pet registration fee. Read More.

Dangerous Dog Warning Signs and Dangerous Dog Collars are available for purchase from Wingecarribee Shire Council's Customer Experience Team.

The signs are for Declared Dangerous Dogs and Restricted Dogs and are for residences only.