The Greater Bendigo City Council has adopted a new Domestic Animal Management Plan 2021-2025 to guide the City for the next four years.
More than 1130 residents (both pet owners and non-pet owners) contributed to the plan by completing a survey or by making a submission. The City also received a further 40 submissions on the draft plan.
Greater Bendigo Mayor Cr Andrea Metcalf said the City has a legislative requirement under the Domestic Animals Act 1994 to prepare a Domestic Animal Management Plan (DAMP) and this is the fourth plan that the City has prepared and adopted.
“The 2021-2025 plan builds on the achievements and work from the first three plans and provides a framework to guide future service programs and actions for the next four years,” Cr Metcalf said.
“The Domestic Animal Management Plan 2021-2025 focuses on a number of key areas including responsible pet ownership programs, a review of the current cat containment requirements and a review on whether Greater Bendigo remain a default off leash municipality in public areas
“Since recorded history companion animals have been part of our lives with dogs and cats integral to the lives of many local residents which means it’s important for the City to have a plan in place to ensure that pets, pet owners and non-pet owners coexist in a harmonious way.”
The City received considerable feedback from the community in the development of the plan and key findings from the community survey revealed that:
- 98 per cent believe there are positive health and wellbeing benefits associated with owning a pet
- 71 per cent feel public spaces are safe from nuisance pets
- 87 per cent feel animals not used for breeding should be desexed
- 80 per cent support a 24/7 cat containment law (to match the requirements to contain dogs to an owners property)
- 8 per cent are feeding un-owned community cats
- 76 per cent support dogs on leads at all times unless designated otherwise
The Domestic Animal Management Plan 2021-2025 is available to view on the City’s website www.bendigo.vic.gov.au.
