Eleven of the 14 dogs declared to be restricted breeds by Hume council were found to be unregistered at the time of the declaration, an inquiry has heard.
The failures to register occurred from the enforcing of new dog laws in 2011 until this year. In its submission to the state government’s Inquiry into the Legislative and Regulatory Framework Relating to Restricted Breed Dogs, the Municipal Association of Victoria (MAV) said dog ownership “should be understood as a responsibility and not a right”.
The MAV’s submission focuses on the councils’ experiences as the sole authorities charged with implementing and enforcing the restricted-breed dog legislation, introduced in 2011 by the state government.
This law made it an offence to own a restricted-breed dog – unless it had been registered before the law came into effect – and it was a criminal offence to breed them.
The new law also gave councils powers to seize and euthanise dangerous and restricted- breed dogs. That power was revoked when a moratorium on euthanasia was imposed pending the current parliamentary inquiry.
The inquiry is looking into whether the current laws encourage responsible dog ownership and protect the community.
The inquiry committee called for submissions and is now hearing from witnesses, including MAV.
MAV chief executive Rob Spence appeared before the committee last Tuesday, stressing that owner suitability and responsibility were critical to improving community safety. He said the first test of responsible dog ownership was registration of the dog with a local council.
“The MAV understands that a substantial number of dogs declared by councils to be restricted-breed dogs were unregistered at the time they came to the council’s attention,” the MAV’s submission states. “For example, 11 of the 14 dogs declared by Hume council were unregistered at the time of declaration.”
The MAV submission also referred to council officers being forced to endure abusive and threatening attention from dog owners.
“The MAV has been told of officers receiving death threats and of experiencing substantial stress and anxiety as a result of their involvement in restricted dog-breed cases.
“It is disgraceful,” the submission states.
Some Hume council local laws officers, having associated with dog owners, had received threatening emails, letters and phone calls and been abused while driving council-branded cars, according to a council spokesman.
The inquiry’s report is due by March 30.
