As well as registering their dogs, responsible dog ownership includes:
- Keeping your dog under control at all times, including leashing in public places (leash device to be no longer than one metre).
- Ensuring your dog receives proper care and attention, are supplied with sufficient food, water and shelter and receive adequate exercise.
- Ensuring your dog does not cause a nuisance to any person and does not injure, endanger, or cause distress to any person.
- Ensuring your dog does not injure, endanger, or cause distress to any stock, poultry, domestic animal or protected wildlife.
- Muzzling dangerous and menacing dogs in public places.
- Accepting liability for damage done by your dog (including traffic accidents).
- Ensuring that your dog wears a collar with a current registration tag affixed.
- Notifying the Council in writing of any change of address or ownership of a dog within 14 days.
- Picking up your dog's faeces when this occurs outside your property.
- Containing your dog if it has a contagious disease.
- Keeping your dog confined to your property in such a manner that it cannot freely leave your property, or ensure your dog is under the direct control of a person.
Preventing dog attacks
Up to 77% of dog attacks come from a family dog or a friend's dog. Educating yourself and your children of a dog's body language and other signs a dog may be in distress could help prevent an attack before it occurs.