BRIMBANK council has promised to work more closely with police to improve responsible pet ownership.
A new domestic animal management plan approved last week includes a pledge to bolster animal management services with additional staff.
A report to administrators said council officers investigated 83 reports of serious dog attacks last year.
With more than 100 reports of dog aggression received each year from 2007-12, council regularly checks on 63 dogs registered as dangerous, menacing or restricted breed.
Tough new state laws were introduced in 2011 after St Albans girl Ayen Chol, 4, was mauled to death by an unregistered pitbull-cross, an incident described by a magistrate as “a tragedy beyond imagination”. Owners of dangerous dogs can now be imprisoned if their pets are responsible for an attack.
Council city development director Stuart Menzies said none of the 83 incidents reported last year involved dangerous dogs.
“Any instances of aggression by dogs are a concern to council,” he said. “Education and promotion of responsible pet ownership will be a major focus of council’s efforts to try to reduce this number.”
Other issues addressed by the plan include the breeding of unwanted dogs and cats and barking dogs, following significant community feedback.
“High rates of animal abandonment and euthanasia, pet ownership education and nuisance cats were also high on the list of concerns,” Mr Menzies said.
Cat and dog ownership in Brimbank is bucking a national decline, with dog ownership jumping 18 per cent between 2007-08 and 2011-12 (from 13,945 to 16,458).
While dog complaints increased from 763 to 961 in that period, incidents of “dog attacks and rushes” fell from 115 to 103 and noise complaints for barking dogs dropped from 320 to 280.
There were more than 5400 requests for animal management services last financial year, mostly related to dogs and stray and feral cats.
