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By fully complying with the legislation, the community is protected, and you provide a clear indication that people should not approach your dog.  What Is A Dangerous Dog? A dog is declared as dangerous by a Local Council if the dog has caused serious injury to a person or animal, if the dog is a menacing dog and its owner has received at least 2 infringement notices for failing to comply with restraint requirements, if the dog has been declared dangerous under corresponding legislation in another State/Territory, or for any other reason prescribed. Serious injury to a person is an injury in the nature of broken bones, lacerations requiring multiple sutures or cosmetic surgery or the total or partial loss of sensation or function in a part of the body. Particular breeds of dogs are not classified as "Dangerous Dogs", however if a dog is trained to attack people or animals, or is kept as a guard dog on non-residential premises, it will also be deemed a Dangerous Dog. In addition, certain breeds of dog are defined as "Restricted Breed Dogs" under the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994. Restricted Breed Dogs are defined as dogs prohibited from being imported by the Commonwealth Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, including the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa, the Fila Brasileiro, the Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canario) and the American Pit Bull Terrier (or Pit Bull Terrier). Of these, the Pit Bull Terrier and the Perro de Presa Canario are the only breeds currently known to exist in Australia. As of 2 November 2005, the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 makes it an offence to acquire a restricted breed dog. For owners with restricted breed dogs that were registered prior to this date, a range of housing and ownership requirements apply. For further details, contact the DPI Customer Service Centre on 136 186 for a copy of the brochure "Things you should know about Restricted Breed Dogs". How to Identify a Dangerous Dog All dangerous dogs are required by law to wear a prescribed striped reflective red and yellow collar and their presence indicated by signs at all entrances to where it lives or works. Your Council can inform you where to purchase these items. By fulfilling your legal responsibilities with respect to properly identifying your dog as dangerous and displaying the required signage on the property where the dog lives, you give yourself legal protection in the event that a person enters the property and is attacked. What To Do If Approached By A Dangerous Dog There are some important rules to remember if approached by a dangerous dog:
There is a good chance that after adopting these tactics, the dog is likely to come up and sniff you, nudge you with its nose and leave you alone. What you are required to do if you own a dangerous dog There are a number of requirements for owners of Dangerous Dogs. These include:
The legal consequences if your dog injures someone An attack by your dog can lead to court action. If convicted, owners can face substantial fines. This is in addition to damages, which may potentially be thousands of dollars. In such situations, dogs are often ordered to be destroyed or declared dangerous. If a dog that is already declared dangerous is involved in an attack, the penalties for the owner can be extremely serious, and even include imprisonment. Even if your dog rushes at or chases someone (but doesn't actually bite), you could be fined, and council could declare your dog to be a 'Menacing Dog' (requiring it to be microchipped and you may have to leash and muzzle it in public). | |||||
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