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Responsible Pet Ownership

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City of Bunbury ranger seated on hardwood floor with a black greyhound standing to the left of her on a rug and a grey greyhound sitting on a dog bed to her right. The ranger is wearing black jeans, navy blue top and she has brown hair.

The City of Bunbury works with our community to educate pet owners and facilitate Responsible Pet Ownership. Managing the needs of both pet owners and non-pet owners can be challenging on this page you will find information to assist with looking after your pet responsibly and provide guidance for those community members being impacted by someone else’s pet.

  • It is a requirement of State Government law that all pet cats and dogs must be registered with your local government. There can be harsh strong penalties for people who choose not to comply with these requirements but there is a very good reason to register your much-loved pet.

    If we find your pet out wandering and it is registered, we can bring it straight home. The City of Bunbury has a great Regional Animal Facility (RAF) that we use to impound animals, but it doesn’t not compare to the loving and familiar environment of home. When a pet is fully compliant, we will always try to get it home first before we consider impounding.

  • The Dog Act 1976 requires that all dogs over the age of three months must be microchipped and registered. A registered owner must be over the age of 18 and microchipping must occur prior to registration.

    The registration period is 1 November until 31 October each year with options for one year, three years and lifetime with discounts available for concession holders and sterilised pets (proof of these and microchip must be presented to be eligible).

  • All Domestic Cats over the age of six months must be sterilised, microchipped and registered as per the requirements of the Cat Act 2011.
    The registration period is 1 November until 31 October the following year with options for one year, three years and lifetime registration with discounts available for concession holders (proof of this and microchip must be presented to be eligible).

    Once new State Government laws are introduced it is expected that cats will have to be confined to their own property. This may significantly impact many cat owners in our area and the City of Bunbury recommends introducing cat enclosures at your home before these new laws take effect.

  • If your personal or pet details have changed, you can update them here using the form below.

    You will need to provide relevant documents to receive concession, a concession card or sterilisation certificate along with proof of microchipping. All pet owners are required to notify the City of Bunbury of any changes relating to your pet’s registration.

  • Did you know that you need permission from the City of Bunbury to have more than two pet dogs and/or pet cats. 

    Section 26(1) of the Dog Act provides that a local government may, by a local law, limit the number of dogs that have reached three months of age that can be kept at a premises.  Section 26(3) of the Act further provides that a person may apply to keep more than the prescribed number of dogs and a local government may grant that application if it is satisfied that it is appropriate to do so and subject to any appropriate conditions that may to be imposed.  

    Furthermore, a local government cannot authorise the keeping of more than six dogs that are three months or older unless the relevant property is an approved kennel establishment. 

    Similarly, the same exists for cats, and our Dog Local Law and Cat Local Law details the limits as permitted within our municipality, which is essentially a maximum of two dogs and/or two adult cats. 

    These rules do not apply to dogs under the age of three months or cats under the age of six months. This allows pet owners the opportunity to trial a new pet to establish whether they are the correct fit for your family. Once they do reach these ages then the animal must be both microchipped and registered. Please check out the above section on pet registration for more information. 

    It is important that pet owners do apply before adding an extra pet to your family, as the City of Bunbury generally does not permit the addition of more than the prescribed number, unless there are reasonable and extenuating circumstances. The application process also requires the consent of all the properties that immediately surround the location where the pets are housed. 

    The City of Bunbury encourages Responsible Pet Ownership and the laws exist to ensure everyone is safe and happy in our community, so please assist us by ensuring you are compliant with these laws and continue to be a responsible pet owner. 

  • Online application for more than two dogs/cats

    PURSUANT TO SECTION 26 (3) OF THE DOG ACT 1976 & CAT ACT 2011 79(3)(h) AND CATS LOCAL LAW 2018 3.2

    Insert address of premises at which dogs/ cats are ordinarily kept.

    Animal details

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    Property details