Qld Dog Ownership Laws

[~Anne~]

Out of curiosity, can someone detail the QLD dog owning laws. If you are a 'breeder'can you have an unlimited number of dogs? What about pet owners? Rural, semi-rural and metro?

[Lab lady]

It depends on what council area you live in.

I'm on the gold coast and it's 2 dogs for land 600m2 and over, under 600 then only one dog.

Breeders require a council permit to breed but still only max 2 dogs unless you apply for a permit for more.

[Miss B]

Depends on which council you live in - they all have different rules. Mosts areas I know of allow 2 dogs with a permit and up to 4 or 5 dogs with a permit. I don't think there are many (or any) places in QLD where you can have an 'unlimited' number of dogs, breeder or not (unless you have a kennel licence which are difficult and expensive to obtain).

In my council, we are allowed up to 4 dogs with a permit. The permit cost me $200, and my rego fees on top of this are $140 per year (that's with 2 desexed dogs and the Dogs QLD discount).

QLD is not a very dog-friendly state, IMHO.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

We are on 40 acres in Moreton Bay Regional Council and have a Breeder's Permit to keep 8 with the possibility to extend that in the future. Obviously each application has been assessed on individual merits- size of property, set-up, size of dogs etc etc.

[Silversails]

I have 2 friends in Moreton Council. One has a permit for 12 dogs on 3/4 acre. The other has a permit for 15 dogs on 2 acres. The area does not seem as critical as the facilities.

[Are You Serious Jo]

How long is a piece of string? What area are you specifically referring to, QLD is a big place?

[Miss B]

We are on 40 acres in Moreton Bay Regional Council and have a Breeder's Permit to keep 8 with the possibility to extend that in the future. Obviously each application has been assessed on individual merits- size of property, set-up, size of dogs etc etc.

I have 2 friends in Moreton Council. One has a permit for 12 dogs on 3/4 acre. The other has a permit for 15 dogs on 2 acres. The area does not seem as critical as the facilities.

Was building kennel facilities part of the application process?

I looked into it for our council area, and it required a full development licence application (thousands of dollars with no guarantee of approval) and we would have to build kennel facilities to strict specifications etc.

[New Age Outlaw]

I'm in Brisbane City Council area (normal sized house block) and I had no problem getting a permit to have more than the usually allowed 2 dogs...just had to pay my money and fill in some forms. I think it varies greatly between the different councils in Qld.

[~Anne~]

Thanks all. I am specifically referring to Burpengary/Caboolture areas.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

12 on 3/4 acre and 15 on 2 acres, do they have full kennel facilities?. Our house yard is 3/4 acre, fully fenced, (as is the remainder of the property) dogs are house dogs, we are retired and home more often than not and our dogs are de-barked.

Burpengary and Caboolture are in Moreton Bay Regional Council. I understand the applications for Breeders Permits have now been closed off. There is a thread in "Breeders" to that effect.

[Tatzelwurm]

Just asked buddy who works at Moreton Bay Regional council Hesapandibear. No kennel licence unless it is commercial, or there are many dogs, simply require a permit to keep excess dogs if you are a breeder registered with dogsQld. Council will not give a number.

It depends on where your land is, how close the neighbours are, but you must have fences and buddy says they looked at whether there were runs for the dogs or not, but it was not mandatory. Buddy says it is not difficult to get a permit, but a proper kennel licence might be harder.

Edited for Clarity

Edited December 28, 2010 by Tatzelwurm

[Dog_Horse_Girl]

I have very limited experience but Caboolture/Burpengary falls under Moreton Bay Regional Council.

Brisbane City Council was fantastic and easy to deal with when I obtained the permit to keep more than 2 dogs (I have 3). There was a minimum block size of 400 square metres but that was the only restriction other than the dogs being desexed.

[Eridor]

are you thinking of moving to QLD Anne?

[coogie]

I live in Moreton Bay Regional Council Area and they are just in the process of changing some of the local by laws so that all the Councils that amalgamated will have the same by laws. It means we will have to get a special permit to keep two dogs in future if anything happens to one of ours.(if you already have more dogs than the permitted number registered at the property they will not apply the law retrospectively but you will have to apply if you want to register a new dog and your land is not the required size) The number of dogs you can keep depends on the property size to some extent. They have a list of the by laws that are changing on their website. The process for applying is pretty simple and there is a one off administration charge of about $130.00 if you want to keep dogs in "excess of permitted numbers per size of block" They were very helpful when I called to check for our two. Some neighbours have applied in the past to keep an additional dog and had no problems getting a permit granted.

My only query was that there was no provision for the size of the dog in relation to the size of the property for example two Chihuahuas would be seen as the same as two Wolfhounds! My dogs are medium sized (Sharpei) and I think they have plenty of room as the house is not huge so they have front and back yards to play in,I think they will come out and check if they are in doubt but they just took our word over the phone.

Hesapandabear what does debarked mean?

[Greytmate]

My only query was that there was no provision for the size of the dog in relation to the size of the property for example two Chihuahuas would be seen as the same as two Wolfhounds!

Two chihuahuas will make more noise than two wolfhounds. Why should the council discriminate on dog size?

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

We have a breeders permit. We are NOT commercial, we are registered with DOGS QLD. We are on 40 acres in Woodford, 4 km from the "township". Neighbours are NOT any closer, in fact further away, than one would expect those who are on smaller acerage closer to suburbia to have i.e. 15 dogs on 2 acres.

Our house yard, where we limit our dogs access to, is approx. 3/4 acre, (we have shelties who are not by any stretch of the imagination big dogs!!) We then have AT LEAST 1.5 acres of garden in our front "yard" where the dogs, should we choose, can have access to, then 10 paddocks (NOT including our herding arenas) all fully fenced. Dog/sheep wired, whatever one chooses to term it. All our boundary fences are hot wired top and bottom, we are to say the least like Fort Knox here.

NO there are no runs for our dogs, they are house dogs, and for better or worse sleep on my bed. We pooh pick twice daily. We are retired and spend 80% of our time at home. If we go out our dogs are locked inside out of habit.

De-barking means that their vocal chords have been "nicked" so the pressure can't build up and be noisy to neighbours, something we had to do in N.Z. because of "complaining neighbours" before moving to QLD. Shelties can be noisy buggers!!.

SO how come someone can have a licence for 15 dogs on 2 acres, when runs are NOT mandatory and the most we can have on our current licence is 8.

SORRY, simply does NOT compute, if you get my drift?

[Silversails]

We have a breeders permit. We are NOT commercial, we are registered with DOGS QLD. We are on 40 acres in Woodford, 4 km from the "township". Neighbours are NOT any closer, in fact further away, than one would expect those who are on smaller acerage closer to suburbia to have i.e. 15 dogs on 2 acres.

Our house yard, where we limit our dogs access to, is approx. 3/4 acre, (we have shelties who are not by any stretch of the imagination big dogs!!) We then have AT LEAST 1.5 acres of garden in our front "yard" where the dogs, should we choose, can have access to, then 10 paddocks (NOT including our herding arenas) all fully fenced. Dog/sheep wired, whatever one chooses to term it. All our boundary fences are hot wired top and bottom, we are to say the least like Fort Knox here.

NO there are no runs for our dogs, they are house dogs, and for better or worse sleep on my bed. We pooh pick twice daily. We are retired and spend 80% of our time at home. If we go out our dogs are locked inside out of habit.

De-barking means that their vocal chords have been "nicked" so the pressure can't build up and be noisy to neighbours, something we had to do in N.Z. because of "complaining neighbours" before moving to QLD. Shelties can be noisy buggers!!.

SO how come someone can have a licence for 15 dogs on 2 acres, when runs are NOT mandatory and the most we can have on our current licence is 8.

SORRY, simply does NOT compute, if you get my drift?

If you are an exhibitor, and you attend your local kc, or you have attended meetings with the council, you would know both these people. The 3/4 acre has an expensive purpose built facility. I have no idea what the other has, apart from some kennels and runs. You said the council told you you could have more than 8 dogs. Perhaps they approved you for 8 because that was what you own and the other people for more because they had that number, and the council thought all of you had excellent facilities? Area doesn't seem to be a particularly big factor.

I have presumed that you were confused, and not accusing me of telling lies? I know these people because I show, and I recently met them at a specialty, and I considered moving there. the information from the council "computed" with what I was told.

[coogie]

My only query was that there was no provision for the size of the dog in relation to the size of the property for example two Chihuahuas would be seen as the same as two Wolfhounds!

Two chihuahuas will make more noise than two wolfhounds. Why should the council discriminate on dog size?

Hi Greytmate,I wasn't making a point about noise;only about the size of our block in relation to the number of dogs allowed as that seemed to be the issue for the council in regards to the number of dogs. I guess I was thinking about the whole issue in relation to the space for the dogs and their comfort hence the comment about the size of the dogs.Although the noise factor may well be the reason for the limit now that you have pointed that out , my two are not that quiet this week as we have just moved but they are settling everyday and we are lucky that the people on either side have dogs.

I have always found the Council here good so far. I don't think the council should discriminate on dog size but was just wondering what they based their decision on when imho bigger dogs would be better off with more room unless they get out a lot.

I only asked Hesapandabear about the debarking because I had not heard the term.

[ShesaLikeableBiBear]

Yes I am an exhibitor, and no I haven't attended our local shows in the last few months as 1) I have an injury which is precluding me from attending many shows with the possibility of major surgery in the N.Y. 2) my dog who I am currently showing has ruptured his cruciate ligament 3) I was away at the time the meetings were held at the end of September.

I WAS NOT ACCUSING YOU OF TELLING LIES I was merely replying to Tatzelwurm's post in which he/she stated that according to his/her buddy who works for the Council that the decision is based on where your land is, proximity of neighbours, fencing and that runs were not mandatory.

[Steve]

Part of a serious problem Australia wide is that you have to look at dog laws in conjunction with planning laws.The simple fact is there is no planning in planning.

When ever, you hear the words each is taken on a case by case basis if you look a little harder there are all kinds of things going on which seem to make little sense.

If a person cant make a phone call or look on a website and see what is needed to own or breed dogs in any shire before they buy property there or before they bring in more dogs it creates massive problems and leaves the whole thing wide open to way too much which could change if you dont have the right hair colour, breed the wrong kind of dog or shout someone a free lunch.

When you see one person who is O.K. to own 10 dogs on 30 acres without the need for wirly birds on shed rooves,concreted pens etc and yet their neighbour on 60 acres with 10 dogs has to have the whole works including a ranger who calls in every 2 months and makes them re paint their concreted pens in the same shire - you have to start to question the system.

At what point do you call someone commercial - state law in Queensland defines breeding dogs as commercial no matter how many you breed or whether you are breeding purebreds or not but councils - for now - seem to make that decision based on CC status. Hesapandabear for example has 8 dogs and she is not counted as commercial but her neighbour who is not a member of a CC may be considered to be breeding dogs commercially if they also have only 8 dogs. I know that the AAPDB are pretty hot under the collar about this and the reality is that no law can be in existence if it is inequitable and deciding one person is commercial over one other needs to have a set and definite line in the sand which is not reliant on case by case.

In Victoria life is about to get very very interesting. I spoke with someone who is helping with drafting new laws for breeders when the new government changed hands.

Up till now there are from memory about 50 registered breeding establishments in Victoria and when the new laws come in they are expecting thousands. Thats because up till now CC members have believed they didnt need planning approvals and licences if they had under 10 fertile dogs - if my information is correct that will change to anyone who has 3 whether they are CC members or not regardless of what breed they own. They will all come under mandatory laws for breeding establishments as well as planning laws limiting how many they can own depending on what zone they live in. Any one who owns more than 2 dogs will need planning approval.

Anyway because we still have case by case basis you can know the basics such as how many on what size block but the rest is pot luck.