Alexandrina Council is home to over 9,500 dogs and cats!
Owning a dog or a cat can provide great companionship. However, pet ownership also comes with commitment and responsibility. It’s important to be aware of your responsibilities as a pet owner living in the Alexandrina Council area.
Dogs
Navigating dog behavioural problems can be difficult, such as managing barking and wandering. Dogs that bark excessively or dogs that are wandering at large can be considered as a nuisance.
To read more about dog behaviour and how to manage it, visit the Behavioural Problems page.
Harassment is defined as a dog troubling or annoying a person without being the primary cause of physical injury i.e. the dog may chase a person or animal but not bite them.
Attack is defined as a dog acting with force or harmfully resulting in physical injury such as bruising, puncture wounds or laceration.
After a dog attack, you should seek medical or veterinary treatment as a priority.
When safe to do so, you must report the attack to the relevant council. You can contact our Community Safety Team on 8555 7000.
To read more, visit the Dog Attacks and Harassment page.
Council has the ability to issue various dog control orders with the aim of removing risk or altering behaviour.
Requirements of orders vary and reflect the actions required to ensure a previous incident is not repeated. Failure to comply with a Dog Control Order is an offence.
| Barking Dog | Barking Dog Orders are applicable for dogs that cause a nuisance and have created noise by barking or otherwise in circumstances that would constitute an offence. Requirements of a barking dog order – All reasonable steps are to be taken to prevent the dog repeating the behaviour again. |
| Nuisance Dog | Nuisance Dog Orders are applicable for dogs that persistently escape and are at large, are allowed to wander or perhaps consistently bother someone. Requirements of a nuisance dog order – The dog must be registered and kept inside of in a fenced yard approved by an Animal Management Officer and must be on a lead at all times when in public. The owner must ensure that the dog cannot repeat the behaviour again. |
| Menacing Dog | Menacing Dog Orders are applicable for dogs that behave in a manner that a reasonable person would think the dog would attack, harass or chase if given the opportunity. The dog has not caused harm but the potential to cause harm is real and evident. Requirements of a Menacing dog order – The dog must be microchipped, registered and wear a dangerous dog collar at all times. It must be kept inside or in a fenced yard and on a lead and muzzled when in a public place. The owner must ensure the dog cannot repeat the behaviour again. |
| Dangerous Dog | Dangerous Dog Orders are applicable for dogs that have caused harm and pose a threat to the public. This order is to be applied where a dog has been found to have attacked and is considered dangerous. Requirements for a Dangerous Dog order – The dog must be desexed, microchipped, registered and wear a dangerous dog collar at all times. A dangerous dog warning sign must be displayed prominently at all entrances to the property. The dog must be kept inside or in a fenced yard and on a lead and muzzled when in a public place. The dog and owner must successfully complete an approved training course specific to the Order and the owner must ensure the dog cannot repeat the behaviour again.
|
| Destruction | Destruction orders are applicable for dogs that have caused significant harm and that are likely to do so again. The act refers to such dogs as being “unduly” dangerous. The public threat posed by such dogs is unacceptable. Requirements of a Destruction order – The dog is to be destroyed and until destroyed must be kept at a place approved by Council. |
You must have your dog on a leash of no more than two metres in all public places and in private places where you do not have the consent of the occupier to have your dog off-leash. Dogs must be on leash when walking along all public roads and footpaths unless otherwise signposted.
To assist residents and visitors in our region to understand and adhere to these regulations, we have developed a brochure with a summary of dog on and off leash areas based on location and time of year. These changes may impact you and your dog, so it’s important to be informed.
To view the important dog on and off leash times for beaches, parks and reserves, visit the dogs on and off leash page.
Council have provided multiple dispensers around the community townships see the below links for dispenser locations:
These dispensers are kindly adopted by volunteers in the community, if you notice a dispenser is empty, please contact Council and quote the dispenser number or the location of the dispenser. If you feel an area needs more dispensers, please email in your concern to alex@alexandrina.sa.gov.au
Council is reducing the use of single use plastics by making a shift to compostable dog waste bags. Compostable product means that if you take the used bags home, they can be disposed of in your green bin rather than your general waste bin, not only reducing plastic waste but also total waste to landfill.
If you are interested in adopting a dispenser, please contact Community Safety on 8555 7000 during business hours.
Cats
During the 2023 By-law review, Council adopted the Cats By-Law No. 6 2023 at the 21 August 2023 Council Meeting.
The objectives of the Cats by-law are to control and manage cats in the Council’s area:
- to promote responsible cat ownership;
- to reduce the incidence of public and environmental nuisance caused by cats;
- to protect the comfort and safety of members of the public; and
- for the good rule and government of the Council’s area.
The By-Law includes limits on cat numbers and effective confinement of cats.
For more information on Council's By-laws, visit www.alexandrina.sa.gov.au/bylaw
Cats do wander onto neighbouring properties and can cause a nuisance for some residents.
You can encourage your cat to stay on your own property by:
- Providing a well-turned mulched area for use as an outside bathroom.
- Set up an enclosed cat run to allow your pet to run around outdoors. These can be purchased from your local pet store or online.
- Adapt your fence to encourage your pet to stay within your own yard.
- Confine your pet to being inside or restrict your cat’s outside hours from sunrise to sunset.
- Desex your cat as this makes them less territorial and less likely to wander.
If you have a cat that continues to visit your house try some of these deterrents to discourage it from returning.
- Keep the area wet – cats don’t generally like to be muddy
- Cats don’t like the smell of citrus, mustard, sprigs of rue, naphthalene flakes or citronella oil so try placing these on the ground where the cat lies or digs. Also try sprinkling some pepper
- Cat repel sprays are available from your local vet or garden nursery
- Plant cacti or prickly plants in your garden
- Spread Vaseline on your fence and posts to stop the cats from getting grip as they jump your fence
- Clean up your yard to restrict vermin and other small prey that cats hunt
- Remove potential food sources
These are just suggestions and are not guaranteed to work. Be sure to change these up regularly to continue to trick the cat as some cats might be less sensitive to different methods.
If the cat's behaviour continues, please reach out to Community Safety at 8555 7000 to file a complaint about the nuisance cat. You will be required to complete a nuisance diary for up to 14 days. Please note that in order for the Council to take action, the cat's address must be provided.
If you are feeding a cat that is unowned, this cat is claimed as your responsibility. Council strongly discourages feeding unowned cats.
Mandatory Requirements
From 1 July 2018 it is a mandatory requirement for all dogs and cats to be microchipped by 12 weeks of age; this applies to new and existing pets – unless exempted by a vet.
Microchipping can be carried out by Chipblitz, visit www.chipblitz.com to view venues and book. Alternatively, book with your local vet to get your beloved pet microchipped.
For microchip certificates, please visit www.petaddress.com.au and enter your microchip number to find the contact for issuing you a new certificate. Your microchip number may be located on any veterinary documents or invoices. If you are unsure of your animal's microchip number, you may wish to contact your local vet or contact Council to inquire about scanning services that are available.
Every dog and cat born after 1 July 2018 must be desexed by 6 months of age unless exempt by a vet.
Any existing animal not desexed that changes ownership after this date must be sterilised within 28 days of the ownership transfer.