Barking Dogs

Aggressive Dogs

Aggressive dogs can cause a real danger to other people and animals in the community. Council is required to act upon all complaints received for aggressive dogs for which powers are given to Council under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 and Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011. The complainant will be asked to complete a statutory declaration with enough information to provide Council with grounds to investigate. The identity of the complainant will remain confidential in any correspondence from Council. If the matter goes to Court, the complainant/s will be required to supply evidence in person.

Depending upon the severity of the attack the dog may also be seized, impounded and/or destroyed, in addition to the owner being fined and/or prosecuted. The dog may also be declared either a dangerous dog or menacing dog under the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008. The owner must comply with legislated conditions for keeping a declared dog and will incur additional registration fees.

Barking Dogs

All dogs bark, but some barking dogs become a real neighbourhood nuisance greatly reducing the quality of life for neighbours and increasing neighbourhood tensions. Barking dogs are the most common animal behaviour problem Council is asked to investigate.

Noise nuisance is regulated under Council’s Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2011 and ongoing barking can result in a First and Final Notice, Compliance Notice or Penalty Infringement Notice (fine). Ongoing barking is often a symptom of another problem and taking time to understand what makes dogs bark especially your pet or other dogs in your neighbourhood is the first step towards solving this problem, both for the dog involved and your neighbours.

Talk to your neighbour as soon as the problem arises. They may not be aware that their dog is barking or that their dog's barking is bothering you. To assist, you may give your neighbour a copy of Council's Barking Dog Fact Sheet and Neighbour Notification. If the barking persists, speak with your neighbour to provide feedback. If your neighbour is unapproachable, or does not agree that a problem exists, you should contact Council on (07) 4761 5300 for further advice.

If you report the problem to Council, you will be asked to record instances of barking in a Barking Dog. If the record shows the barking meets the criteria for problem barking, Council will likely issue the customer a First and Final Notice, Compliance Notice and/or Penalty Infringement Notice depending on the severity of the barking.