We rely on members of the public to report all dog attacks especially those that have occurred on private property. Reporting all incidents helps us address problems appropriately.
What is a dog attack?
Council has established and defined two levels of dog attack.
(55A Attack by dogs)
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Level One |
Level Two |
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The dog bites or holds a person or animal in its mouth, whether or not the holding is accompanied by biting, shaking, pulling or pushing or the person or animal suffers an injury, physical or otherwise. |
The dog approaches, chases, menaces, harasses or rushes at a person or animal in a manner endangering or causing fear, alarm or distress to the person or animal whether or not there is contact. |
Reporting a dog attack
If you are attacked by a dog on private or public property please report it to Council as soon as possible. This will help us to respond quickly and effectively.
To report an attack, fill out the Animal Attack webfom or, please call 08 8930 0600
You will need to provide certain details about the event, including:
- Date
- Time
- Location
- Sequence of events.
The Council ranger will talk you through the appropriate complaint process.
Enforcement
If your dog has attacked, you are guilty of an offence and Council has a range of options at its disposal. (Section 69 Dog attack)
- As the owner, you may be prosecuted
- Dogs that have committed an attack may be placed on the Declared Dog Register as a category one dog or category two dog
- In the event of a level one attack, council may prosecute the owner of the dog, issue penalty infringements, impose sanctions and place conditions on the dogs registration
- In more serious instances council may also forcibly remove or evict the dog from the Darwin Municipality
Declared dogs register
Council maintains a declared dog register which records the details of dogs that have committed certain acts, including attacks. Their owner’s details are also recorded. If your dog is placed on the Declared Dog Register, extra conditions are placed on your dog’s registration. These conditions relate to the dog’s care and control.
The conditions may include:
- Placing signage at the premises where your dog is usually kept. The words ‘Warning Dangerous Dog’ must be clearly legible and visible from all boundaries of the property
- Only allowing your dog in public places when it is muzzled, in the care of a person greater than the age of 17 and that person can effectively control the dog therefore, preventing it from further attacking
- Registering the dog as a declared dog and paying the appropriate fees
- Microchipping the dog
- You will also be required to comply with any other conditions imposed by Council. (55B Declared Dog Category 1 and 55C Declared Dog Category 2).
Prescribed breeds
Darwin does not have a prescribed breed register.