Domestic Animal Management Plan

Following community consultation throughout March – June, we have developed a Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) 2021-25.

The DAMP is aimed at promoting and encouraging responsible pet ownership. It establishes guidelines so that pets and our community can live together peacefully, in harmony, without adversely impacting the environment or amenity.

The DAMP includes programs for the training of authorised officers, to ensure they can properly administer The Act, sets out methods for evaluating our effective management of The Act, and outlines programs, services and strategies that we can use to achieve the DAMP’s objectives, ensuring a safe and harmonious community.

The key themes and areas of community focus highlighted in the DAMP include:

• Increased and improved communication, education and training for the community to promote responsible pet ownership;
• Increased patrols to improve and increase opportunities for education, regulations and enforcement;
• Signage improvements relating to dog areas and regulations;
• Improvements and a more consistent approach to dog off leash areas;
• Introduction of 24/7 cat containment; and
• Council taking a more active and leadership approach, including seeking external funding opportunities and establishing and facilitating working groups.

The objectives of our Domestic Animal Management Plan are:

• To promote responsible pet ownership and protect the welfare of pets;

• To protect the community and environment from nuisance dogs and cats; and

• To outline Council’s animal management services.

Under the Domestic Animal Management Act (1994), Council must develop and implement a DAMP every four years.

For more information on the DAMP, please contact our Community Safety Team on 1300 BCOAST (226 278) or (03) 5671 2211 or email basscoast@basscoast.vic.gov.au.