By Alesha Capone
Jack Russell Terriers, Labradors, Staffordshire Terriers and German Shepherds are among the most popular dog breeds in Melbourne’s north and west.
From Maribyrnong to Moorabool, many residents of area are fur-tunate enough to own a dog, with councils in region having a combined total of more than 102,000 canines registered with them.
Within the Wyndham municipality, there were 21,002 dogs registered in the 2020-21 year.
Wyndham council’s city operations director, Stephen Thorpe, said the municipality’s top five breeds are Jack Russells (1486 dogs), Staffordshire Bull Terriers (1398), Labradors (1319), Cavalier King Charles Spaniels (990) and German Shepherds (876).
“Wyndham city encourages all owners to register their animals with council,” Mr Thorpe said.
“Three months ago, Wyndham city council formally adopted a four-year Domestic Animal Management Plan that outlines council’s commitment to animal management relating to cats and dogs from 2021 through to 2025.
“The plan promotes responsible pet ownership, encourages pet registration and aims to minimise the risk of attack by dogs and nuisance caused by animals.”
Wyndham resident Lyndall Mione is the proud owner of a Jack Russell named Milo.
Milo has lived with Ms Mione’s family, including three teenage daughters, since November 2020 when he was aged eight weeks old.
Ms Mione said that Jack Russells are a good dog for an active family.
“Milo is also great company for me when I am working from home,” she said.
“He is full of personality and he has a fear of missing out on things, he loves going for walks to the dog park and playing.”
Within Wyndham’s neighbouring municipality of Melton, there are almost 16,200 dogs registered with the council, while Hobsons Bay council has 11,014 dogs registered.
The most common breeds in Hobsons Bay are Labradors (526 dogs), Jack Russell Terriers (475), Staffordshire Terriers (262), Cavoodles (395) and Border Collies (310).
Hobsons Bay mayor Peter Hemphill said that the area was blessed “to have enviable open spaces from dog beaches to dog parks”.
He said the council was continuing to invest in infrastructure for dogs and their owners to enjoy, such as the Brooklyn Dog Park and the recently-redeveloped PA Burns Reserve in Altona, which has a fenced dog-off lead area.
At Brimbank council, there are 9454 dogs registered, with the top five breeds being Jack Russell Terriers, Maltese Terriers, Staffordshire Bull Terriers, German Shepherds and Labradors.
Nearby Maribyrnong has 7081 dogs registered, with Jack Russells, Labradors, Maltese Terriers, Kelpies and Staffordshire Terriers making up the top five most popular breeds.
Maribyrnong council’s infrastructure services director, Pat Jess, said that pets could have significant health and wellbeing benefits for people, including increased physical activity and improving social connectedness.
“This is one of the reasons why council invests in its open space infrastructure to create a variety of recreation opportunities for both our residents and their pets,” Ms Jess said.
“Every year we encourage residents to support responsible pet ownership, which includes registering their cats and dogs, ensuring they are microchipped and registered from three months of age.”
Jack Russells – once again – took out the top spot within the Moorabool shire, where there are 5994 are dogs registered – including 435 Jack Russells, 353 Labradors, 337 Border Collies, 307 Kelpies and 301 Staffordshire Terriers.
Across to the northern suburbs, Whittlesea’s chief executive Craig Lloyd said there were 19,586 dogs registered with the council.
Maltese Terriers are the most popular with 1889 registered, followed byJack Russell Terriers (1520 dogs), Staffordshire Terriers (1433), Labrador Retrievers (1184) and Cavoodles (840).
“As part of the city of Whittlesea’s Domestic Animal Management Plan, we have a range of initiatives to encourage responsible pet ownership and we will be engaging further with the community over the coming months,” Mr Lloyd said.’
“We encourage people to look into what is the right breed for them and their families and ensure that they undertake dog obedience training.”
Hume council has 18,840 dogs registered – 816 German Shepherds, 806 Jack Russells, 646 Labradors, 633 Cavoodles and 569 Maltese Terrier/Shitzu crosses.
With Labradors being such a popular dog across all municipalities, Werribee Obedience Dog Club secretary Noelene Jordan – who has two pure-bred Labradors named Cassie and Flynn – said the breed is “very smart and trainable”.
“They’re always there for you and they never stop being a puppy,” she said.
“They are good family pets, they are great with everyone.”
However, Ms Jordan said it was important for dog owners to train their pets and not just expect automatic obedience from them.
“If you can get to puppy school, they are so good, even then it’s good if you can keep doing basic obedience training,” she said.
Ms Jordan added that it is important for anyone wanting to a dog to do their research into various breeds’ temperaments and activity levels, and ensure any animal they buy is healthy.
“Do your homework and find out what’s going to suit you,” she said.
Labrador owner Kim said that before purchasing her family’s dog Kobe, she spent about 12 months talking to different breeders and doing research on the best breed to fit in with their lifestyle.
Kobe, now 18 months old, is a beloved part of the family.
“He’s our best friend, he’s loyal, he’s fun and good with everyone, he is great with the kids and is very clever,” she said.
Kobe is named after the basketball player Kobe Bryant, as both of Kim’s sons love the sport.
“He’s the kids’ best friend and now they are back at school, he’s walking around the house looking for them,” she said.
Kim said that Kobe also loves to “eat everything” and sits with herself and her husband every day, while they work from home.
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