The new requirements are included in a draft Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs in the ACT. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
Dogs will have to have at least three hours a day of human contact – and retractable leads and debarking surgeries will be prohibited – under proposed new rules for dog owners in the ACT.
The draft Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs in the ACT is currently open for feedback on the ACT Government’s community feedback website YourSay Conversations, with a final version to be enshrined in law as soon as early next year.
The document outlines new “mandatory standards that must be met by all dog owners and anyone in charge of a dog in the ACT” and guidelines on how these standards should be met.
ACT City Services minister Chris Steel at Yarralumla Dog Park. Photo: ACT Government.
“This Code aims to ensure that all dogs receive proper treatment consistent with the need to maintain their comfort, security, physical and mental well-being at all times,” it reads.
In 2019, the ACT became the first jurisdiction in the world to recognise animals as “sentient beings” – rather than property – with the Animal Welfare Legislation Amendment Bill.
The concept recognises “animals have intrinsic value and deserve to be treated with compassion” and “people have a duty to care for the physical and mental welfare of animals”.
The bill doubled animal cruelty penalties to up to two years’ imprisonment or a $32,000 fine, or both and added a suite of new offences, including hitting or kicking an animal, abandonment, or confinement in a car likely to cause the animal injury, stress or death.
Pet owners who keep their dogs locked up and do not allow them to exercise for longer than one day face a fine of up to $4000, while having an animal unrestrained in a moving vehicle is punishable by up to one year in prison or a $16,000 fine.
A person is also legally allowed to break into a car to protect an animal from serious injury or death, if they acted honestly and there were no other reasonable options, like calling the police.
Confinement of an animal in a car likely to cause the animal injury, stress or death is illegal in the ACT. Photo: RSPCA ACT.
The new draft code, prepared with guidance from the the government’s Animal Welfare Advisory Committee (including the RSPCA ACT), goes even further.
It introduces several new mandatory animal welfare standards, such as placing heavy restrictions around “debarking”, or the surgical removal of tissue from the vocal cords as way of reducing the dog’s ability to bark.
“An owner/person in charge of a dog must recognise that persistent barking is a behaviour problem and the cause of the problem will not be addressed by a surgical procedure,” the document reads.
Only a registered veterinarian can undertake the operation now, and only as “a last resort to euthanasia”.
Dogs in the ACT must receive “adequate exercise”. Photo: ACT Government.
A owner, or carer, must also ensure their dogs are provided with human contact for “a reasonable length of time each day, three hours minimum”, adequate exercise, suitable accommodation and “environmental enrichment” including “petting, grooming, training, free running exercise, play, and safe chewing objects”.
When outdoors, they must have access to “adequate shelter” and when indoors, “relaxed conditions of ventilation and lighting, adequate bedding or sleeping quarters, access to outdoors at regular intervals, and an area for toileting purposes”.
Food and water bowls and the dog’s general environment “must be maintained in a clean condition”.
The mandatory requirements are also accompanied by guidelines, or “recommended practices to achieve desirable animal welfare outcomes”.
“Non-compliance with one or more guidelines will not in itself constitute an offence under law although these guidelines may be used to help inform decision-makers of what is considered appropriate care, in the event of prosecution,” the document reads.
These guidelines say to avoid using retractable leashes as “not a responsible, or safe way to walk a dog as it limits control, poses risk and could be dangerous to both the dog and the walker”.
The proposed laws include a section on retractable leashes. Photo: Michelle Kroll.
They also recommend drinking water supplies should be topped up at least twice a day and bedding changed at least weekly.
The government says it’s seeking feedback from “key stakeholders, dog owners (including working dogs) and the wider community to ensure the updated standards and guidelines … meet evolving community expectations”.
The project is open for feedback on YourSay Conversations until 22 August.
The ACT Government was contacted for comment.
