Media Release: VICTORIA PUTS THE BITE ON DANGEROUS DOGS AND PIT BULLS

FROM THE MINISTER FOR AGRICULTURE

DATE: Sunday, September 4, 2005

VICTORIA PUTS THE BITE ON DANGEROUS DOGS AND PIT BULLS

New laws to be introduced by the Bracks Government will require declared dangerous dogs and restricted breeds, like pit bulls, to be desexed – effectively breeding them out of existence in Victoria, the Agriculture Minister, Bob Cameron, said today.

Mr Cameron said under the changes, owners of restricted breeds will be required to desex their dogs, as will owners of dogs declared dangerous by a local council.

“If a dog is declared dangerous by a council because it has been involved in an attack, then we don’t want that animal to be able to breed,” Mr Cameron said.

“Pit bulls and other restricted breeds were banned from importation in the late 90s to limit their numbers. We now want to actively reduce their numbers.

“The compulsory desexing of restricted breeds and a ban on councils registering new restricted breed dogs will ultimately lead to pit bulls being bred out of Victoria.

“Pit bulls and other restricted breeds are overly aggressive and pose an unacceptable risk to people and other animals.”

Restricted breed dogs include pit bulls, Japanese tosas, Argentinean fighting dogs and Brazilian fighting dogs, but only American pit bull terriers and pit bull terriers are known to be in Australia.

In the past year there have been more than 50 dog attacks in Victoria reported to local councils allegedly involving American pit bull terriers or pit bull terriers. Of these only two were declared and registered as restricted breeds. Five hundred and seventy-eight dogs are registered in Victoria as being restricted breeds.

“Current owners of pit bulls who have their animals registered as restricted breed dogs will be able to keep their pets provided they are desexed,” Mr Cameron said.

“These changes will ban the keeping of new restricted breed dogs in the community while maintaining the rights of existing owners who responsibly registered and declared their dogs.”

The proposed changes to the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 will also include doubling the penalty from $524 to $1,048 for failing to provide a restricted breed dog declaration or providing false information in a restricted breed dog declaration.

The laws will be introduced to Parliament this session and debated before the year’s end.