By Paul Pickering
A 15-YEAR-OLD boy sentenced to six months in a Youth Training Centre has been given as an example of the tough line being taken against dog owners.
The case has been highlighted as the Shire of Yarra Ranges puts irresponsible dog owners on notice after eight prosecutions at Ringwood Magistrates’ Court this month.
Of the eight latest prosecutions, seven resulted in convictions being recorded against the owners, costing a total of $8700 in fines and a further $7757 in court costs.
Among the convicted parties was an Upper Ferntree Gully resident who pleaded guilty to charges of failing to prevent a dog attack on another animal, owner of a dog at large between sunrise and sunset and failure to register an animal.
The owner was fined $2000 and ordered to pay court costs of $2290.
In June, a 15-year-old was convicted after an incident in March when he was walking his grandmother’s dog when the animal attacked a guide dog.
The youth appeared at the Melbourne Children’s Court on 14 June after an investigation was conducted by shire rangers and police.
He was sentenced to six months in a Youth Training Centre.
The shire’s local laws executive officer Greg Talbot said the spate of prosecutions showed how seriously the council and courts took dog attacks.
“All bar one of the cases involved a dog attacking another animal or a person,” he said.
“This is totally inappropriate and dog owners ultimately have to take responsibility for their animals.”
Under the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994, dog owners are required to have control of their dogs at all times.
Penalties for irresponsible owners can be as severe as a $12,000 fine and even a jail sentence.
Mr Talbot said it is dangerous for dog owners to assume that their dog will behave in a passive or obedient manner.
