Under Victoria’s existing laws, any lost cat or dog must be taken to a local council-authorised officer.
Only vets or animal shelters holding a special agreement with their local council are currently allowed to contact the owner directly and reunite them with their pet. These outlets are often not easily identifiable by the public.
Animal Welfare Victoria is looking at changes that would allow lost cats and dogs dropped off at veterinary clinics or registered animal shelters to be reunited with their owners sooner.
The proposed reforms aim to reduce stress on animals and their owners and reduce regulatory, administrative and resource burdens on councils, vet clinics and registered animal shelters.
Some of the problems associated with lost and roaming pets can include the animal’s welfare, the welfare of other animals and wildlife, nuisance behaviour, property damage and human safety.
Another problem arises if ownership data linked to an animal’s microchip is not current, meaning a vet may inadvertently contact and provide the pet to a previous owner.
This can compromise public safety through people on family violence orders attempting to locate others through pet microchip data or registration details.
An issues paper and survey questions are now available online. Victorians are encouraged to have their say on the Reuniting Lost Pets review at engage.vic.gov.au
Victoria had about 663,000 dogs and 221,000 cats registered with its 79 councils in 2019.
Agriculture Minister Jaclyn Symes said losing a pet was an upsetting and stressful thing to go through.
“That’s why we’re looking at ways we can reunite people with their furry family members sooner,” she said.
“We also know this reunification can’t come at the expense of community expectations of responsible pet ownership.”
15°C