Surf Coast Shire residents can continue to help the community and its pets live together safely, thanks to council’s latest four-year action plan.
The Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-29 highlighted the importance of council and the community in managing cats and dogs.
Councillor Liz Pattison said most pet owners do the right thing and that the plan encouraged everyone to continue fostering friendly relationships between pets and people.
“We’ll work with Great Ocean Road Coast and Parks Authority to improve dog-related signage, and our Rangers will proactively patrol to educate people on responsible pet ownership,” she said.
“If you’re a pet owner, we want to see things like dogs being under effective control in public spaces, adhering to the cat curfew, picking up after your pet, and being mindful of others.
“We want to look back on this plan and give pet owners and ourselves a pat on the back for doing all we can to make the Surf Coast Shire a place where people, dogs and cats can live together in harmony.”
More than 5500 dogs and 700 cats are registered in the Surf Coast Shire, with council’s latest plan promoting pet registrations and a desexing program.
The plan was informed by community feedback from two surveys, which received 660 responses, and will be submitted to the state government to meet a requirement of the state’s Domestic Animal Acts.
