Ava On Victoria's New Dog Laws

[sumosmum]

Shame they didn't speak up earlier and a bit louder. Anyway, they have now.

AVA New Dog laws in Victoria

New dog laws in Victoria

Changes to the Victorian Domestic Animals Act 1994 took effect on 1 September. They attempt to address community concern about dog attacks and include the following changes.

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Councils can now seize and impound wandering dogs if they are unidentifiable and believed to be a danger to the public. The dog can be euthanased within 48 hours if unclaimed.

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A dog that has previously been declared a Dangerous Dog found wandering can be seized and impounded, and euthanased after 24 hours.

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All cats and dogs 3 months of age and above must be registered and wear council identification on public property.

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New laws have been introduced that affect declared Menacing, Dangerous and Restricted Breed Dogs.

“AVA was not consulted before the legislation was drawn up, but was shown an outline, and asked for comments, before the legislation was presented to Parliament,” said Victorian Division President, Bill Harkin.

“We were briefed by the Bureau of Animal Welfare (part of the Department of Primary Industries), and subsequently had meetings with the responsible Minister, Joe Helper, and the Shadow (Opposition) Parliamentary Secretary, Bill Sykes.”

“AVA supports many parts of the legislation, but we were particularly vocal against the breed specific regulations. AVA policy is that ‘deed, not breed’ should be the determining factor in the assessment and treatment of dogs. This fact has been well communicated to both the Bureau and the Minister, who are fully conversant with AVA’s position,” said Bill.

The AVA’s special interest group for animal behaviour, together with the Australian College of Veterinary Scientists, produced an excellent submission on the proposed legislation, which was submitted to the Bureau of Animal Welfare and to the Minister.

The key area of disagreement is over the breed specific parts of the legislation, essentially the restrictions on Pit Bull Terriers. The restricted breeds include: American Pit Bull Terrier (or Pit Bull Terrier), Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canario), Dogo Argentino, Japanese Tosa, or Fila Brasileiro. Breeds other than Pit Bulls and their crosses are either unrepresented or nearly so in Victoria. The biggest problem is determining whether an animal is actually a Pit Bull or Pit Bull cross, or whether it is a cross involving other breeds. There is no DNA test which can identify an animal as a Pit Bull or cross, so the determination can only be made on physical appearance. This is a grey area that can, and will be, contested in court.

There is genuine community concern over dog attacks, which tend to get a great deal of media attention, and the public perception is that Pit Bulls are behind most of them (despite all evidence to the contrary). The push for these legislative amendments has come from the highest level of government, and the Opposition did not oppose the Bill in Parliament.

“The best that we can hope for is that future amendments will be made in less electorally sensitive times, and that the legislation can be made to work as effectively as possible. Hopefully the scientific guidance that we can offer will be of assistance in the long term,” concluded Bill Harkin.