Education and awareness of dog behaviour is essential

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The AVA welcomes the Queensland Government’s announcement for funding of community education and awareness in response to the consultation on stronger dog laws.

In the AVA’s submission to this consultation, we advised that there is a significant gap in community knowledge about how to live alongside and interact with animals, particularly dogs. This lack of understanding can lead to unsafe interactions and increase the risk of dog attacks. Minister Furner’s funding announcement will help address this by providing a community education and awareness campaign, delivered in partnership with stakeholders across a range of platforms, to raise awareness of dog safety, particularly for parents and caregivers with young children.

The AVA does not support the practice of banning dogs based solely on their breed, as evidence from other Australian and overseas locations does not support this.

As communicated in our submission, the AVA advocates for the “deed not breed” position regarding dangerous dog classification. This asserts that aggression in dogs is not tied to any particular breed but is influenced by various individual factors and circumstances, not breed alone.

Included in the AVA’s submission was a call for a more empathetic and welfare-centric approach to managing the dogs involved in incidents, acknowledging their sentience and social needs. We are opposed to impounding dogs for extended periods without providing proper care, socialisation, and visitation with their owners where appropriate and safe. The announcement of the Queensland Government to streamline decisions and appeals on the future of seized dangerous animals is welcomed to help improve welfare outcomes for seized dogs and their owners.