By Alesha Capone
Wyndham council has successfully prosecuted 23 pet owners for failing to abide by animal-related legislation in the 2018-19 financial year.
The council’s director of city operations, Stephen Thorpe, said some of the pet owners faced multiple charges.
“Of those found guilty for animal-related offences in the past financial year, there were three serious attacks on humans and three on animals,” he said. “We had two charges for unregistered menacing dogs, 11 charges for unregistered dogs, and one for not registering their cat.
“There were also four pet owners who were ordered by the court to comply with council’s directional notices and works orders to confine their animals.
“The reason we took residents to court for failing to comply with council’s orders is because their dogs and cats were found on multiple occasions not confined to their owner’s property.”
Mr Thorpe said the fines handed out by the court to pet owners ranged from $322 up to $4800, plus out-of-pocket expenses for victims, council costs for holding dogs and court fees.
“We deal with most animal-related … breaches by educating residents on how they should be managing their animals and issuing infringement when necessary, however with serious dog attacks, the court must decide whether the dog owner is guilty or not.”
