NSW plans $195 annual fee for hunting dogs

[Tempus Fugit]

Story here

[sandgrubber]

4 hours ago, Tempus Fugit said:

Story here

"Dangerous or restricted dog, including those used for hunting" sounds like it's aimed at pig dogs ...not all hunting dogs.  Would people with, say, an Amstaff x mastiff pig dog that might be labeled as dangerous seek to avoid fees by saying it was a hunting dog?

Edited May 25, 2018 by sandgrubber
Further thoughts

[karen15]

Would be interested to know what their definition of hunting is. One would assume hunting includes retrieving dogs?

[The Spotted Devil]

I would guess not Gundogs... seeing as they are bred to retrieve shot game gently to hand that makes sense. 

 

“There are 24 dog breeds across both categories, including American pit bull terrier, pit bull terrier, Japanese tosa, dogo Argentino or fila Brasileiro, Perro de Presa Canario or Presa Canario.”

Edited May 26, 2018 by The Spotted Devil

[RuralPug]

My guess would be that the media has worded this awkwardly in the article.

It makes sense to me that the high rego fee is for dogs declared dangerous and restricted breeds. Some of these dogs may be hunting dogs (as you say, most probably for pig hunting and holding) but not all hunting dogs will be automatically included as dangerous or restricted breeds if that makes sense.

i think basically the govt is saying that it understands that some pig hunting dogs may be dangerous dogs and will be so treated. It is not saying that all dogs used for hunting, retrieving are are dangerous dogs.

[Tempus Fugit]

14 hours ago, karen15 said:

Would be interested to know what their definition of hunting is. One would assume hunting includes retrieving dogs?

This is from the existing NSW Companion Animals Act:

 

COMPANION ANIMALS ACT 1998 - SECT 33

Meaning of "dangerous"

33 MEANING OF "DANGEROUS"

(1) For the purposes of this Act, a dog is 
"dangerous" if it:

(a) has, without provocation, attacked or killed a person or animal (other than vermin), or

(b) has, without provocation, repeatedly threatened to attack or repeatedly chased a person or animal (other than vermin), or

(d) is kept or used for the purposes of hunting.

(2) A dog is not, for the purposes of subsection (1) (d), to be regarded as being kept or used for the purposes of hunting if it is used only to locate, flush, point or retrieve birds or vermin. 
"Vermin" for the purposes of this subsection includes small pest animals only (such as rodents).

Note : If a hunting dog is declared to be a dangerous dog, the declaration does not necessarily mean that the dog cannot be used for the purposes of lawful hunting--see section 51 (3).

[The Spotted Devil]

Ah. Section 2) covers it. 

[karen15]

So a terrier eg westie that goes to ground to kill vermin would be a hunting dog as it is not "used to locate, flush, point or retrieve". I'm not sure if that sort of ratting exists in Australia any more but I certainly used to use my corgi for killing mice - which would have made her a hunting dog under that wording.

[The Spotted Devil]

23 minutes ago, karen15 said:

So a terrier eg westie that goes to ground to kill vermin would be a hunting dog as it is not "used to locate, flush, point or retrieve". I'm not sure if that sort of ratting exists in Australia any more but I certainly used to use my corgi for killing mice - which would have made her a hunting dog under that wording.

If you look at Section 1)a) and b) “other than vermin” covers it. 

Edited May 27, 2018 by The Spotted Devil

[PossumCorner]

Are livestock guard dogs exempt?  Or not?  Given that so many Maremmas around us (in Vic) are exclusively kept to kill foxes.  Maybe under the 'other than vermin' classification.

[RuralPug]

16 hours ago, PossumCorner said:

Are livestock guard dogs exempt?  Or not?  Given that so many Maremmas around us (in Vic) are exclusively kept to kill foxes.  Maybe under the 'other than vermin' classification.

Livestock guardian dogs are not hunting dogs. Although they may protect livestock by killing invasive predators, they do not actively hunt.
Although under this legislation they might be as they will also defend against wild dogs and dingoes (which are not "small vermin") so it is a very good question.