Page 4048 - Week 11 - Thursday, 21 September 2017
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On 29 March 2017 the Assembly passed a resolution in regard to dog attacks. As part of this resolution, the ACT government was called on to consider allocating more resources to investigate attacks by dogs, consider allocating more resources for education about obligations and responsibilities of dog ownership, report on changes made to dog management processes following feedback from the 2016 working group, review relevant laws and internal procedures that govern the management of dangerous dogs and report by the end of September 2017 and review the penalties associated with the management of dangerous dogs.
I am pleased to report to the Assembly that the ACT government has addressed all parts of this resolution. The government takes the regulation of dogs, particularly dangerous dogs, very seriously, with heavy penalties available for people who do not follow the rules. We are continually reviewing and, where necessary, improving the way we investigate and deal with dog attacks.
Dog attacks generally involve a dog having an instinctual response such as protection, dominance, claims to territory or provocation. As such, all dogs can be unpredictable and have the capacity to be aggressive and dangerous if they are not managed appropriately and responsibly.
On 29 March this year I released the draft animal welfare and management strategy for public consultation and community feedback. We received 110 responses during this consultation and have incorporated these views in the final strategy that I have released today. It builds on our proven track record for animal welfare and management and the existing framework of legislation, codes of practice, guidelines and management plans already in place. This strategy involves a five-year plan and was developed and guided by experts in the animal welfare and management sector and seeks to take a preventative and proactive approach to animal welfare and management.
Although appropriate enforcement action is essential, the government’s primary objective is to prevent dog attacks happening in the first place. We will do this by ensuring owners are managing their dogs appropriately and responsibly by educating people that dogs must be kept on their leads by a responsible pet owner and secured in an escape-proof yard when they are at home. A preventative approach will help reinforce what it means to own a dog, what responsibilities owners and carers have, so that attacks can be stopped before they happen.
As I have already mentioned, the government takes dog attacks very seriously and I acknowledge the significant distress they cause to those involved. However, it is important to put the facts about dog attacks on the table and have a sensible discussion about the management of dogs in our city.
In the ACT approximately two in every five households own a dog, which means there are about 60,000 dogs living in Canberra. On a daily basis these dogs interact with people and in many cases other animals equating to up to 21 million or 22Â million interactions per year, not allowing for animal-to-animal or
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