Five stray dogs a day are being collected across Townsville City and the problem is growing, says council.
The city council says that in 12 months, they have housed almost 1800 stray dogs amid reports of them roaming streets, parks and public spaces.
Councillor Kurt Rehbein says that stay dogs are posing a growing problem across the Northern Queensland city with the most fines issued to owners with insecure enclosures.
“Roaming dogs are a problem across Townsville which is why we’re reminding owners to be responsible and ensure their pets are secure at home and under control via a leash when they’re out in public,” he says.
“It only takes one roaming dog to threaten another animal, cause traffic chaos or create a dangerous situation for residents.”
He says every stray dog report requires a council response (whether that’s investigating the report, collecting the animals or reuniting them with their owners) which is an extra cost for ratepayers.
“The simplest way to avoid that is to make sure fences and gates are secure, registration details are up to date and dogs are always under effective control when outside the home,” he says.
STRAY NUMBERS ‘TOO HIGH’
Cr Rehbein said while some dogs escape despite their owner’s best efforts, council officers are still encountering too many preventable cases.
“The number of dogs coming through our animal care and adoption centre each year shows this isn’t just bad luck; too many dogs are escaping their properties and ending up on our streets.
“We also have significant issues with repeat offenders, where we are collecting the same dogs over and over – it is in these instances we have to take the enforcement approach and issue fines.”
Council has issued 19 fines for dogs off leash in public, seven fines for stray dogs and 90 fines for ineffective dog enclosures.
LEGAL REQUIREMENTS
All dogs, including puppies 12 weeks or older, must be registered within 14 days from acquisition or moving to Townsville, and wear a registration tag.
Registration renewals are mailed every June with annual registrations needing to be renewed by June 30 each year.
For new registrations, registration renewals, reciprocal registrations or to update your dog’s details in the Townsville council area, visit their Animal Registration Payments page.
