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Dangerous, menacing and restricted dogs


Under the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998, a dog may be declared a dangerous dog if it has, without provocation, attacked or killed any person or animal or repeatedly threatened to attack or chase a person or animal (other than vermin). Under the NSW Companion Animals Act 1998, a dog may be declared a menacing dog if it has, without provocation, attacked a person or animal or repeatedly threatened to attack or chase a person or animal (other than vermin) without causing serious injury or death.
 
If Council or the Courts declares a dog to be dangerous or menacing, owners must comply with specific control requirements outlined in the Companion Animals Act 1998 and the Companion Animals Regulation 2018. Failure to comply with the requirements may result in a fine being issued and/or the seizure of the dog.
 
Council will give a notice of intention to the owner of a dog before it is declared menacing or dangerous. The owner must follow all instructions in the notice and ensure the dog is contained securely within the property it is ordinarily kept. The owner then has seven days after the notice is given to lodge an objection to the proposed declaration by writing to Council. If an objection is not received by Council within that time frame, Council will proceed with the declaration. If the owner lodges an objection within the seven days, Council will first consider the objection before proceeding with the declaration.

It is an offence to sell, advertise for sale, give away, transfer or accept ownership of a proposed or declared dangerous, menacing or restricted dog.

See Office of Local Government NSW Dangerous and Menacing Dogs for further information.

  • Dangerous Dogs

    Council can declare a dog as a dangerous dog for the following reasons:

    • The dog has, without provocation, attacked or killed a person or animal (not including vermin).

    • The dog has, without provocation, repeatedly threatened to attack or repeatedly chased a person or animal (not including vermin).

    • The dog is kept or used for hunting.

    • The dog has been declared a dangerous dog under the law of another State or Territory that corresponds with the Companion Animals Act 1998 No 87.

  • Restricted breeds

    The following breeds of dogs are considered restricted breeds as specified under the Companion Animal Act 1998.

    • American Pit Bull Terrier or Pit Bull Terrier.

    • Dogo Argentino.

    • Fila Brasileiro.

    • Japanese Tosa.

    • Any dog declared by an authorised Council Officer to be a restricted dog.

    • Any other dog of a breed, kind or description whose importation into Australia is prohibited by or under the Customs Act 1901 of the Commonwealth.

    From 1 July 2020, the Government introduced annual permits for owners of restricted dog breeds and dogs declared to be dangerous.

    Owners of these dogs are required to pay a $195 annual permit in addition to their one-off lifetime pet registration fee. Please refer to the Annual Permits section for more information.



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