Pet Registration & Responsible Ownership

Dog Ownership

Responsibilities as a dog owner

Each year, Community Ranger Services answers hundreds of calls regarding stray and nuisance dogs, and the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has had to rehome or euthanise a large number of these dogs, mostly because they have been abandoned.

Owning and keeping a dog is a very rewarding experience, but in return you need to have a caring and responsible attitude towards the welfare of your pet and learn to care for its health and understand its behaviour.

The City encourages responsible dog ownership and seeks to increase the community knowledge and awareness through our school education and other programs.

Responsible dog ownership includes:

Registering your dog at 3 months of age and having proper collar tags at all times
Treating for life-threatening diseases (check with your local vet)
Feeding at least once a day, with freshwater available at all times
Providing adequate shade during the summer
Ensuring any chains used cannot entangle the animal or on any item within reach
Giving the animal at least half an hour of exercise daily, using a lead (unless in a gazetted dog exercise area)
Cleaning up any droppings the dog may excrete
Not mistreating it or training it to attack any person or animal
Having someone look after your dog when you go on holidays, and be responsible for any indiscretions of the animal
Assuring properties where dogs are housed has adequate and correct fencing to secure dogs

Any damages or injuries incurred are the responsibility of the owner or person-in-charge of the dog at the time—including veterinarian or doctor's fees—unless it can be proved that the dog was protecting a person, other animal or property.

Please download the Responsibilities as a dog owner fact sheet for more details.

Missing dogs

If your dog goes missing, you should:

Contact the Community Rangers to see if it has been impounded, and to report it as missing;
Check and place notices on social media;
Check with local veterinarians and local radio stations;
Place notices with the media and community organisations; and
Check the Animal Management Facility.

Community Rangers who locate the missing dog may contact the owner if proper identification is on the dog's collar.

Registering your dog

Every dog more than 3 months old must be registered with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder by completing and returning a Dog Registration form. Owners who fail to do so may be prosecuted or fined a minimum $200.

It is now a requirement that all dogs must be microchipped before they are registered.

Please download the registering your dog fact sheet for more information on dog registration.

How many dogs can I have per property?

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder allows residents to keep 2 registered dogs per property. To keep more dogs, a resident will need to apply for an exemption.

The 'How many dogs can I keep on my property' fact sheet provides guidelines on how to apply to keep more than 2 dogs.

Dog Information

Stray dogs captured by the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder will be held in the Animal Management Facility for a minimum of:

7 days (if the dog has a tag, microchip or other ID)
96 hours (if the dog has no identification)

After this period, the dog will become the property of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder.

To claim a dog from the animal management facility, owners must:

Identify the dog during opening hours
Complete the necessary paperwork
Pay the required fees
Register the dog if not already registered
Present the receipt of payment to the Community ranger to release the dog

Dog Rehousal Program

The Dog Rehousal program aims to rehouse dogs that have been:

Unclaimed by owners after the minimum period (stated above)
Signed over to the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

If interested in homing a dog from the Animal Management Facility, you must attend the facility in person during viewing hours to inspect the dog. Should there be an animal you are interested in rehoming, you can record your name and contact number as an expression of interest on the Impound Sheet. If the dog becomes available for adoption, you will be contacted and advised when the dog is available for pick up. The following will need to be completed before the dog can be collected:

Pay the required rehousing fee of $71.00
Register the dog with the City.
Prepay for microchip at a Veterinary Clinic

Restricted dog breeds

At present the following dog breeds are restricted:

Dogo Argentino
Fila Brasileiro
Japanese Tosa
American Pit Bull Terrier
Perro de Presa Carnario or Presa Canario
Pit Bull Terrier breeds/mixes

Owners of these breeds must ensure that the dog is:

Muzzled and kept on a leash at all times when in public
Wearing an approved dangerous dog collar
Be confined in a restricted access area, with adequate warning signs displayed

Nuisance dog complaints

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder encourages residents to resolve any dog-related complaints directly with your neighbour.

If this does not work, then please lodge a Nuisance Dog Complaint Form with Community Ranger Services, who will then investigate the complaint.

Community Rangers are empowered to:

Issue infringements
Impound a dog
Prosecute dog owners

Please download the Barking Dogs fact sheet, for tips on how to control your dogs barking.

Dog attacks

The Dog Act 1976 allows the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder to investigate cases where a dog has attacked, or caused a person to fear being attacked, regardless if the dog has caused injury to a person or other animal or not, and to prosecute the dog owners if necessary.

A dog does not have to bite a person or animal to have attacked it—chasing a person or animal is still an offence.

If you or your dog has been injured in an attack, proceed immediately to the nearest medical or veterinarian clinic for treatment as required.

The owner or person in charge of the dog is liable for any damages or injuries caused by the attack—including veterinarian or doctor's fees—unless it can be proved that the dog was protecting a person, other animal or property. The affected party can recover these costs by lodging a civil claim in court.

The maximum penalty for a dog attack is $20,000 and/or imprisonment for 2 years.

To minimise the risk of a dog attack:

Keep your dog on a leash at all times
Socialise your dog from an early age
Attend training classes so it can interact with other dogs and people

If a dog has been involved in an attack it should be reported to Community Ranger Services as soon as possible, who will investigate the attack.

You can also download the 'Dog Attacks' Fact Sheet.

Dog infringements

Dog infringements can be paid by contacting the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder at the main Administration Building, Customer Service Centre or the Community Rangers Building.

Dog owners can appeal an infringement, but this must be done in writing.

Dog Exercise Areas

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder has a number of gazetted areas where you may take your dogs and allow them to run free without leads.

Please respect the dog exercise area rules to help make it a fun and safe place for everyone.

If your dog displays aggressive behaviour it must be removed immediately
Dogs must always be supervised and under effective control
You may be liable for any injury or damage caused by your dog
Please clean up after your dog and use bins provided
Dogs must be leashed on arrival and on departure of the dog exercise area

City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Dog Exercise Areas:

Norkal Park - Vivian Street - Reserve R40625
Gribble Creek - Area between Johnston, Kingsmill & Wittenoom Street Boulder - Reserve R32961
Gribble Creek - Area between Kalgoorlie Racecourse, Maxwell Street, Speculation Drive and Meldrum Avenue - Reserve R32961
Gribble Creek - Vivian Street (Bushland between Boulder Discovery Caravan Park and Goldfields Regional Prison) - Reserve R42303
Arboretum - Hawkins Street - Reserve R23840
Edwards Park - Piccadilly Street - Reserve R29137
Shepherdson Park - Piccadilly Street - Reserve R4557
Wallace Park (only between 5am-8am) - Collins Street - Reserve R11126
Dwyer Street Dam - Dwyer Street - R8149
Bushland between Eastern Bypass Rd, Lane Street and Goldfields Hwy
Rasmussen Park (excluding Children's Playground) - Hart Kerspien Drive - Reserve R49596

Cats

The Cat Act 2011 requires that all over the age of six months must be sterilised, microchipped and registered. Cat owners are required to contact their local vets to arrange for cats to be sterilised and microchipped prior to registration.

It is a breach of the Cat Local Law 2016 to transfer ownership of a cat by methods including being sold, traded or given away unless it is microchipped and sterilised. This applies to all cats, not just those over six months of age.

To register your cat please complete a Cat Registration Form.

A permit is required to keep more than 2 cats and is available from the Animal Management Facility. An application fee of $132.00 is to be paid and annual fee of $105.00 is required if the application is approved and permit granted.

Stray or trapped cats other than feral cats that are handed into the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder will be held in the animal management facility for a minimum of:

7 working days (if the cat has a tag, microchip or other ID)
3 working days (if the cat has no identification)

After this period, the cat will become the property of the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder, who may dispose of it by various means, including rehoming under the Cat Rehoming Program.

Humane cat traps are available for hire from the Animal Management Facility by paying a $22.00 non refundable fee and can be used to trap any feral, stray or nuisance cats on private property.

Trapped cats will only be accepted during business hours Monday-Friday. We will not take feral cats on weekends or public holidays.

Cat Rehoming

The Cat Rehoming Program aims to rehome cats that have been:

Unclaimed by owners after the minimum period (stated above)
Signed over to the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder

If you are interested in homing a cat from the Animal Management Facility, you must attend the facility in person during viewing hours (listed above) to inspect the cat. If there is an animal you are interested in rehoming, you can record your name and contact number as an expression of interest on the Impound Sheet. If the cat becomes available for adoption, you will be contacted and advised when the cat is available. All cats that are rehomed from the Animal Management Facility, that are not already sterilised and microchipped, are done so through one of the Rescue groups that have an agreement in place with the City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder Community Rangers.

To claim a cat from the animal management facility, owners must:

Identify the cat during opening hours (below)
Complete the necessary paperwork
Pay the required fees
Register the cat, if not already registered. The cat must be microchipped and sterilised in order to be registered and released

Poultry

For information on keeping poultry and pigeons, please download the 'Keeping Poultry and Pigeons' fact sheet.

Large Animals

The City of Kalgoorlie-Boulder defines a 'large animal' as a pig, sheep, goat, deer or camel, but specifically excludes horses and cattle.

Owners or occupiers of a property are required to apply for a permit in order to keep cattle and large animals.

Please download and submit an Application for approval to keep large animals, which also includes information on the relevant Local Law.

Horses

The keeping of horses on your property requires Planning Approval from the City. The stables must then be registered with the City and be compliant with the City’s Keeping of Horses and Stables Local Laws 2001.

Animal Cruelty

What constitutes cruelty to an animal?

The Animal Welfare Act 2002 states that a person is cruel to an animal if he or she:

Tortures, mutilates, wounds, abuses or otherwise ill-treats the animal
Transports or confines the animal in a manner that causes, or is likely to cause, unnecessary harm
Works, drives, rides or otherwise uses the animal when it is not fit to be used
Fails to provide sufficient food, water or shelter for the animal
Abandons an animal
Intentionally or recklessly poisons the animal

The Act also forbids the possession of devices used to inflict cruelty on animals, or the use of such inhumane devices on animals.

In addition, it is an offence to allows captive animals to fight each other, or be released for hunting, chasing or killing. Persons who organise, participate, observe, promote or keep animals for such acts are guilty of cruelty under the Act.

It is also an offence to dock a dog's tail for cosmetic reasons. Tail docking can is only legal if performed by a registered veterinarian for therapeutic or prophylactic purposes.

What to do if someone is being cruel to an animal?

If you see or know of someone who is being cruel to an animal, you need to contact the RSPCA on 1300 278 3589.

An Animal Welfare Officer authorised under the Animal Welfare Act 2002 will act on the information received and investigate reports of sick, injured and neglected animals. If necessary, they will prosecute the offenders.

Quick Links

Animal Cruelty

Animal Welfare Act 2002

RSPCA website

Dogs

Parvovirus Fact Sheet

Dog Behaviour Fact Sheet

Dog Registration form

Registering your dog fact sheet

How many dogs can I keep on my property fact sheet

Nuisance Dog Complaint Form

Barking Dogs fact sheet

Dog Attacks Fact Sheet

Your Local Dog Guide

Cats

Cat Act 2011

Cat Registration Form

Poultry and Pigeons

Keeping Poultry and Pigeons Fact Sheet

Large Animals

Application for approval to keep large animals

Infringements

Request for Review of Infringement