Dangerous dogs

A declared dangerous dog is a dog that an authorised Council officer or local court has declared as dangerous because it:

• Has, without provocation, attacked or killed a person or animal (not including vermin), or
• Has, without provocation, repeatedly threatened to attack or repeatedly chased a person or animal (not including vermin), or
• Has displayed unreasonable aggression towards a person or animal (not including vermin), or
• Is kept or used for hunting (not including a dog used for locating, flushing, pointing or retrieving birds or vermin)

Many people keep a dog to deter trespassers and burglars. There is no problem with this, providing that it does not become a danger to other people or animals (not including vermin).

Your dog may only be declared dangerous if it:

• Has, without provocation, attacked or killed a person or animal (not including vermin), or
• Has, without provocation, repeatedly threatened to attack or repeatedly chased a person or animal (not including vermin), or
• Has displayed unreasonable aggression towards a person or animal (not including vermin), or is kept or used for hunting (not including a dog used for locating, flushing, pointing or retrieving birds or vermin)

In NSW, a restricted dog is one of the following:

• American Pitbull Terrier or Pitbull Terrier
• Japanese Tosa
• Dogo Argentino (Argentinean fighting dog)
• Fila Brasiliero (Brazilian fighting dog)
• Any other dog of a breed, kind or description, whose importation into Australia is prohibited by law
• Any dog declared by an authorised officer of a council to be a restricted dog

 NSW Pet Registry, pets@olg.nsw.gov.au,1300 134 460.