Domestic Animal Management Plan

Consultation has concluded

Our community love household pets, with 6350 dogs and 3262 cats registered in our municipality.

Council plays a key role in ensuring these pets do not cause a nuisance to others and the Domestic Animal Management (DAM) Plan is the overarching document that supports this function.

It provides guidelines around:

the registration of cats and dogs
the registration of domestic animal businesses
responding to animal nuisances and complaints
promoting responsible pet ownership
undertaking microchip checking to reunite animals with their owners

It also outlines the programs, services, and policies that underpin management and evaluation of animal safety and welfare, community safety and welfare, and promotes responsible pet ownership.

Following an internal review, we’ve made some changes to better promote the services relevant to animal management by focusing on public safety, animal welfare, resident service, community harmony, education, prevention, and enforcement.

Some of the key upgrades we’ve made to the Plan include developing new internal guidelines and work processes to support and enhance best practice service delivery, and developing educational services and resources on safe and responsible animal management to share with our community to support their understanding.

In order to make sure these changes reflect the needs of the community and community thinking and promote safe and responsible pet ownership, we are seeking feedback from residents – both pet owners and non-pet owners – on the revised document.

This review is in line with legislative requirements which require Council to review its Domestic Animal Management Plan every four years.

What we’ve heard from the community so far

Community feedback on the Domestic Animal Management Plan has concluded, and more than 250 pieces of feedback were received. Some of the comments received include:

A push for more enforcement and patrolling by Council in both public and private settings, including with pet owners and in on and off lead areas
More signs in public open spaces
Better management of cats – both household and stray – received the second highest volume of responses with calls for better ways to manage roaming cats

The finalised Domestic Animal Management Plan will be delivered to Council at the November Ordinary Council Meeting. For more information about the Council Meeting, visit: https://www.maribyrnong.vic.gov.au/About-us/Council-and-committee-meetings