High praise for Logan's new cat and dog laws

Logan City Council's proposed new laws for the keeping of dogs and cats have been praised by leading pet experts.

The proposed amendments to Subordinate Local Law No.4.1, adopted by Council today, were introduced to better address changing property sizes across the city.

The proposals also support responsible pet ownership.

They also include new requirements for the effective control of cats and dogs in public places and clear guidelines on managing barking dogs.

The proposed laws were shaped after an eight-month review under the City of Logan Animal Care Strategy 2018-2022.

The review included more than 3000 responses from Logan residents in two rounds of community engagement – a record level of feedback for a Council initiative.

Veterinarian and Bondi Vet TV star Dr Alex Hynes, of Underwood's Animal Emergency Service, described the proposed new direction as "a responsible action by Council and the community".

"What we have got to recognise is that the face of Logan is changing in terms of property sizes," Dr Hynes said.

"So the governance around pet ownership needs to change in combination with that."

Dogs Queensland Senior Vice-President, Bill Smith, said Logan had set a benchmark for other Councils to learn and follow "for the benefit of the animal community".

"More families are choosing to have less children and getting a dog instead," Mr Smith said.

"But with both parents often working, it is important the welfare of the dog is looked after when unattended.

"Adequate fencing and the right number of dogs for the size of the property are a must.

"And that's where these new laws are excellent."

Chris Merritt, the vice-president of Cats Queensland, described the proposed new laws for the keeping of cats as "very fair".

"We don't want people hoarding cats and hopefully these changes will help stop that happening," she said.

The proposed new laws clearly outline the number of cats and dogs that can be kept on certain property sizes without Council approval.

Council approval can be sought for additional pets.

The proposed new laws also include:

• If a dog is subject to a control issue on a property of 500m2 or less, no part of the dog's body can cross the enclosure or fence.
• Cats must be contained in a carrier or harness when in a public place.
• Training and management plans for dogs that are confirmed as a barking nuisance.
• The 10kg weight restriction on companion dogs in retirement villages and aged care centres has been removed.

A third round of community engagement will be undertaken before the new laws take effect early next year.

Know the proposed new pet laws

The property criteria for general keeping of dogs and cats under an amendment to Subordinate Local Law No. 4.1 (Animal Management) are:

DOGS:

CATS:

Criteria numbers are subject to landlord, real estate or body corporate approval where required.