Animal owners must make sure their animals are kept in a place with adequate fencing that stops their animals from wandering.

Dogs

Our local laws say that dog enclosures must:

• stop the animal escaping over, under or through the barrier
• be the correct height (you can put the enclosure within the property boundary if appropriate):
  • at least 1 metre high for dogs weighing less than 10 kg
  • at least 1.2 metres high for dogs weighing more than 10 kg
• not be smaller than 10 square metres (excluding any area taken by a swimming pool)
• meet the dog’s welfare requirements
• allow for public access to the front door and/or utilities
• be made of strong and firm materials.

If your dog is subject to a control issue you may need to improve your dogs enclosure.

Remember to close the gate so your dog doesn't get out!

Cats

Animal owners must make sure their cats don’t wander.

Preventing cats from wandering is an important part of being a responsible animal owner. Cats have a tendency to wander and this can cause nuisances like:

• fighting with other cats
• menacing or killing birds and native animals
• urinating and defecating in neighbours’ gardens and outdoor areas
• mating
• causing dogs to bark.

Our local laws state that all cats must be de-sexed and kept within the property boundary. This means they need to stay inside the house, in a purpose-built cat enclosure or within your boundary fence.

Cat containment can be cheap and quick to achieve. For more information, please download Cat fencing and enclosure ideas booklet (PDF 2454 KB).

Wandering animals

If your animal wanders outside of its enclosure, it’s in danger of getting lost, injured or killed, or of causing an accident.

If you see a wandering animal, please report it to our Animal Care Team who will patrol the area and collect the animal. Our team will keep them safe and help reunite it with its family.

To report a wandering animal, please call us immediately on 07 3412 3412.

Effective control of dogs

When you are walking your dog, you need to make sure your dog is safe by keeping it under effective control.

You should keep your dog on a leash that is no longer than 2 metres at all times when you’re away from home, unless you are in an off-leash area.

You are responsible for making sure your dog doesn’t become a nuisance or cause an injury to a person or another animal.