Owner responsibility
A significant section of our community own dogs. The responsibility of dog ownership includes ensuring your pet is well behaved and manageable in public environments by incorporating your dog into the community and at home by providing for the needs of your dog and being a good neighbour.
Keeping your dog safe
All dogs should be kept on a fenced property and not be able to wander the streets.
All dogs over the age of three (3) months must be registered and re-registered by 31 August each year. The registration of dogs helps us to trace the owners of stray or lost dogs. Your dog must wear its registration tag.
Barking dogs
Dog owners are responsible for ensuring their dog's barking does not cause a nuisance to neighbours. Often the dog owner can be unaware that their dog is causing a nuisance as they may not be home when the barking occurs.
If you are concerned about the level of noise a dog is creating, you may choose to resolve the issue with the dog owner or contact us for assistance to resolve the problem.
Complaints
If you'd like us to assist you to resolve a dog noise complaint, please contact us on 8397 7313 during office hours.
What will we do
Our initial action will be to write to the dog owner and advise them of the complaint and also send a letter to the person making the complaint advising of our actions.
Problem solving
If you advise that the noise problem still exists, we will ask you to keep a barking dog diary for 14 days.
The diary is important to our investigations - from this we can obtain an accurate record of what happens and assists us in deciding whether there is a level of nuisance that we can act on. The information in your diary will also help us to work out why the dog is barking and enable us to work with the owner to reduce the nuisance.
We will contact adjoining neighbours to ask them to let us know if the dog's barking is causing them a nuisance too. Council will visit the dog owner and work with them to resolve the problem by negotiating an action plan with specific actions and timelines to rectify the nuisance.
Investigations into alleged barking dog complaints are complex and because these investigations are complex, we are unable to give you a projected completion date.
If the problem continues
Council will review information from all sources to determine whether formal enforcement will and can be taken.
Enforcement
If the problem remains unresolved, the owner may be issued with an Expiation Notice and a Notice of Intent requiring them to satisfactorily remedy the problem, otherwise a formal Control (Barking Dog) Order will be imposed.
A Control Order is a mandatory requirement for the dog owner to take whatever action Council decides is reasonably necessary to restrain the dog and remedy the problem. Dog owners have the right to appeal against the imposition of an order or any other legal action.
Dog Owner Responsibilites
The Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 requires that each Council administers and enforces the provisions of the Act relating to dogs and cats within its area.
The City of Tea Tree Gully promotes and supports responsible dog ownership.
Dog management
Council must, in accordance with the provisions of the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 prepare a plan relating to the management of dogs and cats within the city.
Our Animal Management Plan 2013-2018 will guide domestic animal management within our community and the objectives are to:
- Ensure that pets in the community are well cared for
- Ensure that pet owners are able to maximise their enjoyment of companion animals
- Ensure that owners' activities and those of their pets do not adversely affect the rest of the community or the environment
- Reduce Dog Attacks
- Increase public awareness of the dog legislation
- Promote responsible pet ownership
- Identify and prioritise current and future animal management issues
- Develop an action plan to address any identified animal management issues or process
Socialisation and exercise
Dog owners wanting to exercise their dogs in parks and reserves should comply with the following conditions:
- Always ensure your dog is in sight and under control
- Comply with any restrictions as indicated by signage
- Carry a plastic bag to pick up your dog's droppings
- Only allow dogs off leash in designated off leash areas.
Dogs must be under effective control at all times regardless of whether the dog is being exercised in a dog on leash or dog off leash area.
Under the provisions of the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 - effective control means:
- The dog is on a chain, cord or leash that does not exceed 2 metres in length restraining the dog; or
- By command, the dog being in close proximity to the person and the person being able to see the dog at all times.
Note: Penalties may apply if owners are seen not complying with the conditions.
Wandering at large - definition
(110 kb)
Streets and footpaths
Dogs must be on a leash at all times.
Dog Exercise Areas
Expiation Notices
Expiation Notices can be issued for a number of offences under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 such as:
- Keeping an unregistered dog
- Failing to notify Council if your dog is deceased, if the dog has been missing for more than 72 hours or if the ownership of the dog has changed
- Failing to correctly identify your dog
- Keeping more than 2 dogs on a property without approval
- Allowing a dog to wander without an owner
- If your dog attacks, harasses or chases a person, animal or bird
- Transporting an unrestrained dog in a vehicle
- If your dog causes an injury to a person lawfully entering your property
- If you allow a dog to be in the grounds of a school, kindergarten, child care centre or pre-school without the permission of the person in charge
- If you take your dog into a shop without the permission of the shopkeeper
- If your dog rushes or chases a vehicle
- If your dog creates a noise by barking to an extent that it unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of another person
- If your dog defecates in a public place and you do not immediately remove the faeces and dispose of them in a suitable manner
- If you are the owner of a greyhound and the dog does not have a muzzle securely fixed on its mouth
Expiation Notice disputes
If you receive a Dog Expiation Notice and you believe there is a good reason for you not to pay the fine, you can dispute the expiation notice.
- Online: Dog Expiation Dispute Form
- Download: Dog Expiation Notice Dispute Form(105 kb)
If forwarding, address your correspondence to the Council Inspection Team and lodge either in person at the Civic Centre, by post or by e-mail to expiations@cttg.sa.gov.au.
Please ensure you include your name, address, expiation notice number, contact telephone number and the reasons and/or evidence to support your dispute.
When we receive your expiation notice dispute an acknowledgement will be sent to you and your request will be assessed. You will receive written notification of the decision. This notification will include a new payment due date if applicable.
If you continue to dispute our decision you can raise a second application. This application must be addressed to Council's Team Leader – Inspections. When doing this it is important you provide further information to support your original dispute.
Enforcement Warning notices.
Council has the authority to issue Enforcement Warning notices. A $46 enforcement warning fee is applicable. These notices may be issued in cases where dispute documentation received is deemed as not acceptable as a defense.
Dog expiation fee amounts are set by the State Government in the Dog and Cat Mangement Act 1995.
Hardship options
If you owe more than $50 in fines you may apply to the Fines Payment Unit within the Magistrates Court to pay the amount by instalments and/or you may also request an extension of time to pay the total fine.
Please contact the Court Fine Payment Units below:
- Holden Hill Magistrates Court, Lyons Road, Holden Hill, 5088
- Port Adelaide Magistrates Court, 260 St Vincent Street, Port Adelaide, 5015
- Telephone: Easy Pay Fines Call Centre on 1800 659 538
- Mail: Fines Payment Unit, PO Box 6589 Halifax Street, Adelaide, 5000
- E-mail easypayfines@courts.sa.gov.au
- Payment of Fines (Courts Administration Authority)
Prosecution
If you have received an expiation notice, you may elect to be prosecuted for the offence. Please complete and forward a Dog Expiation Dispute Form:
- Online: Dog Expiation Dispute Form
- Download: Dog Expiation Notice Dispute Form(105 kb)
The following procedure occurs: The expiation notice will be cancelled and you will be issued with a Summons to appear in Court for the alleged offence.
Number of dogs on property
Council's By-Law 4 - Dogs, limits the number of dogs kept on premises and manages and controls dogs in the Council area.
A person must not, without the Council's permission keep:
More than one (1) dog in a small dwelling;
More than two (2) dogs in premises other than a small dwelling.
Application Form for Exemption to permit the keeping of more than two (2) dogs. (127 kb)
For more information, please review By-law No. 4 - Dogs
Dog attacks
Council is responsible for investigating dog attack or dog harassment incidents and takes them very seriously. We encourage people to report dog attacks on people or pets.
A thorough investigation of the incident will be carried out. You will be required to make a written statement and may be asked for any information relating to medical treatment or veterinary treatment for evidence. You may be asked to take photographs of the injuries sustained.
We will ask for your contact details and a description of the incident, your details will remain confidential.
To report a dog attack or dog harassment incident please call our Inspection Team on 8397 7313 during office hours. If you are involved in a dog attack incident, outside of our office hours, please call our emergency service on 1300 788 131.
Dog faeces
Dog faeces are unsightly and unpleasant, particularly on footpaths and in parks. They contain toxins that are harmful to the environment. Every time someone fails to pick up their dog's droppings from the footpath, street, grass verge, park or beach, this faecal pollution will get flushed into the stormwater system next time it rains. When exercising your dog in public places, you are required to clean up after them. Always carry a bio-degradable bag when exercising your dog and dispose of the waste correctly.
Bins have been prominently placed in areas of high use, particularly those areas where complaints have been received from our community.
Other offences
According to the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 dog owners must ensure that their dogs:
- Do not wander the streets without their owner or go into another person's property
- Do not attack a person lawfully entering premises
- Do not go into a school, kindergarten or child care centre without permission
- Do not go into a shop, or a place where food and drink is sold or prepared (except pet shops, veterinary offices or dog grooming parlour)
- Do not rush or chase a vehicle
Owners should also ensure their dogs are:
- Identified with a registration tag at all times
- Physically restrained while being transported in the open tray of a utility, truck or similar vehicle
- Greyhound dogs must have muzzles securely fixed to their mouths and must be under effective control by means of physical restraint while being exercised in public.
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