Councillor's decision ┃ Community consultation ┃ What we asked ┃ Pets by numbers ┃ Animal management requirements

Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29

All councils must have a Domestic Animal Management Plan and it must be reviewed every 4 years. The plan supports the community, pet owners and domestic animal businesses to manage the health, safety, welfare and wellbeing of pets and people too.


Thank you for your feedback

Thank you to everyone who contributed to this consultation and provided feedback about the management and responsible ownership of pets in our community. Read more about the feedback in the community consultation section.

A report was presented to councillors on Monday 10 November 2025 that outlined insights gathered from the community and recommended adoption of the new Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29.


View the adopted plan

Visit our website to read the adopted Domestic Animal Management Plan.


Councillors' decision

In addition to adopting the new Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29, Councillors decided to make the following updates to the plan:

  1. Provide the community with more information on the City of Boroondara website about the role of the RSPCA in responding to animal cruelty/neglect issues.
  2. Include timings in the plan about a proposed cat containment curfew, referencing:
    • completion of a research report by Council Officers before April 2026
    • completion of a community consultation about a cat curfew before June 2026 and
    • consideration of a final decision by Council about a cat curfew before the end of July 2026.

Community consultation

In the months leading up to the councillor decision, we received the views of 282 people living in all suburbs of Boroondara. The ages of these people – and their pet ownership – are listed below:

Age of respondents:

  • 150 (53.0%) respondents were 60 years or older
  • 99 (17.5%) respondents were between 35 and 59 years of age
  • 29 (10.3%) respondents were under 34 years of age, including 2 under 17.

Pet ownership among respondents:

  • 145 (51.24%) own one or more dogs only
  • 30 (10.6%) own one or more cats only
  • 20 (7.1%) own both cats and dogs
  • 86 (30.4%) do not own a pet.

Feedback received from the community centred on the following issues/topics:

  • restricting the ability of cats to roam freely
  • nuisance caused by cats and dogs and the need to enforce the animal regulations
  • exercising dogs off lead
  • dog poo bags and bins and
  • pet registration.

Of the above topics, the most significant issue raised was whether to introduce additional regulation to limit cat movement. 132 (52.3%) respondents raised this issue. Council also received a petition from 490 petitioners (445 of whom live in Boroondara) seeking a 24-hour cat curfew.

In 2026, Council will conduct further research into cat containment curfews and seek community feedback for a report to be presented to Council about this issue. Council will make a decision on this report by the end of July 2026.


What we asked the community

We asked residents, pet owners, vets, pet shops and other animal management organisations for input that can help inform the 2026-29 plan. Specifically, we wanted to hear about your experience of pet ownership, management, pet safety, welfare and community wellbeing.

Feedback we received helped us determine whether Council needs to provide more education opportunities to the community about domestic animal management.


Boroondara pets by the numbers


Aspects of animal management requirements in Boroondara


  • Effective control

    Effective control means you need to always:

    • have your dog on a lead except in designated off-lead areas
    • be able to recall your dog and place it on a lead, if necessary, when in a designated off-lead area.


    Even in off-lead areas, you must have your dog on a lead:

    • within 30 metres of sports games, picnics or barbecues
    • within 10 metres of a children’s playground area.


    Dogs are not allowed in playground areas.

    Report dogs that you see are not under effective control by calling us on 9278 4444.

  • Dog attacks

    If you know a dog that is aggressive or has attacked a person or animal, please call us on 9278 4444 and tell us what happened.

    While many dog attacks, including serious ones, are not reported to Council doing so allows us to educate the dog owner. In some cases, we may prosecute the owner. It almost never results in the dog being euthanised.

    In 2024, we were able to prosecute 9 owners for serious injury (6 on an animal, 3 on a person) and 2 for non-serious injury caused by dog attacks in 2024.

  • Nuisance dogs and cats – and birds

    Pet dogs, cats and birds are not allowed to cause a nuisance to other properties, under our Amenity Local Law and under the Domestic Animals Act 1994.

    ‘Nuisance’ can include noise, smell, damage, harm to wildlife or trespassing.

    If you’re having trouble with your neighbour’s pet, talking to them first can help them realise their pet is upsetting you.

    If you report a nuisance pet to us, we can take a variety of actions that we can assist you with.

    Find out more: Nuisance animals 

Download the draft plan ⇣



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