Dog attacks and regulated dogs
Preventing dog attacks
If you own a dog, you are responsible for keeping your dog in a suitable enclosure. You are also responsible for keeping your dog under effective control when you are out in public areas.
Hundreds of dog attacks are reported and investigated in our city each year. To help prevent dog attacks, please make sure that you:
- check your fence and shut your gate, your dog should not be able to go over, under or through your fence or gate
- keep your dog on a leash of no longer than 2 metres when you are in public areas, unless you are in a designated off-leash area
- train your dog to return to you when called in an off-leash area
- make sure you can control your dog on a leash
- socialise your dog, this can help to decrease aggression, fear or anxiety with other dogs and people
- de-sex your dog, this can decrease dog wandering and aggressive behaviour
- supervise your kids around dogs. Running, yelling, hitting or pulling a dog’s fur will increase the risk of a dog bite.
Report a dog attack
To report a dog attack, please call us immediately on 07 3412 3412.
An officer from our Animal Care Team will contact you as soon as possible. Our officer will want to discuss:
- the date, time and location of the attack
- a description of the dog – things like the colour, breed and size
- any injuries received
- details of where the dog lives or the dog's owner, if you know.
While the incident is fresh in your memory, please download and fill in a Dog attack statement form (PDF 461 KB).
If we can identify the dog, we can take action. Depending on the situation, we may issue an infringement notice, take legal action, declare the dog dangerous or, in some cases, seize the dog.
Am I responsible if my dog attacks?
If your dog attacks and injures a person or another animal, you may be responsible and you may be liable through civil action. We may fine you and we may declare the dog a Regulated (dangerous or menacing) dog.
Our Animal Care Team will investigate and enforce appropriate actions under the Queensland Government – Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008.
For more information about dog attacks, please download our Dog attack factsheet (PDF 435 KB), call us on 07 3412 3412 or email us at council@logan.qld.gov.au.
For the safety of our community, we are often required to declare a dog as a regulated dangerous or menacing dog.
Some of the reasons we regulated dogs as dangerous or menacing could include that the dog has:
- injured a person or another animal by biting
- attacked a person or another animal
- rushed at or chased a person or another animal
- been declared dangerous by another council.
The owner of a regulated dangerous or menacing dog must meet certain requirements, including:
- providing a specified enclosure which is required to be inspected by an authorised person each year
- displaying warning signs on gates and fence
- desexing the dog
- muzzling the dog when in a public place
- paying increased annual registration fees
- the dog must, at all times, wear a regulated dog collar and dog tag
- not taking the dog to off-leash areas.
Where there is a risk to the community from an aggressive dog or where the enclosure is not adequate, our Animal Care Team can seize and impound dogs. The Queensland Government – Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 gives us the power to seize a dog. In these cases, we give the dog’s owner the appropriate notices and information about the process.
City of Logan’s Animal Management Plan 2023
All dogs have the ability to cause fear or significantly harm people and other animals. Dogs which are not kept responsibly can pose a significant and ongoing threat to the safety of the community, particularly the young, elderly and vulnerable. We play a critical public safety role around the clock in helping to prevent people and animals being attacked or killed by uncontrolled dogs.
The Animal Management Plan 2023 (PDF 2.3MB) demonstrates our ongoing commitment to upholding city safety and liveability by addressing anti-social animal behaviour and irresponsible animal keeping outcomes.
Prohibited dog breeds
For the safety of our community, some dog breeds are prohibited from being kept in Logan City. This excludes prohibited breeds that were already registered in Logan City before 30 March 2001.
- American pit bull terrier or pit bull terrier, an American Staffordshire terrier is not an American pit bull terrier
- Dogo argentino
- Fila brasileiro
- Japanese tosa
- Perro de presa canario.