Pick up after your pet

Pet litter

As a responsible pet owner, you have an obligation to care for the health and well being of your pet, as well as a duty to ensure your dog’s activities don’t interfere with your neighbours or the environment.  When exercising your pet in a public place, make sure you are prepared to pick up any litter left by your pet. Leaving pet litter in a public place is not only unpleasant and unhealthy, it is against the law. A small investment of time and commitment on your part will ensure everyone's interests in the community are respected.  

Part of being a responsible dog owner is understanding that it's up to you to ensure that your dog is well behaved and manageable, both in public environments such as the park, and at home in your neighbourhood.

As a dog owner, it is your responsibility to provide for your dog's general welfare, as well as the community in which you live. It does take some time and commitment on your part to ensure everyone's interests are respected – especially when it relates to the matter of dog litter.

Ensure that your dog does not soil parks, gardens, beaches or streets by giving it every opportunity to relieve itself in the backyard before being taken for a walk.  Accidents may happen and it is your responsibility to be prepared by carrying plastic bags or commercially available 'pooper scoopers' to clean up and dispose of your dog's faeces.

Dog faeces are unsightly and unpleasant, particularly in environments such as the beach or park and even more so when you step in them. It's also a major E-coli polluter when washed into our waterways by rainwater.

Picking up after your pet

When exercising your pet in public, please use the plastic litter bags the Council have provided so that you can pick up after your pet.  If walking your dog in an area where bags aren’t provided, please take your own with you.

The easiest method for picking up dog faeces is to place the litter bag over your hand, pick up what you have to, turn the bag inside out and tie the end closed. Zip-lock storage bags are another secure option.

Special animal waste bins in most public places so that you can keep the environment clean for the enjoyment of others.  Failure to pick up after your pet in public areas is unreasonable for other users and will incur an on the spot fine.

Why it’s important to pick up dog litter

  • Dog faeces pollute our beaches, parks and pathways. As well as being unpleasant in sight and odour they are an environmental hazard particularly for our waterway. 
  • Faeces are capable of transmitting disease to other animals and humans
  • Leaving dog waste in a public place is against the law. 
  • It is dangerous – nasty injuries can result from slipping in dog litter