The Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026-2029 (DAMP) has been endorsed by the Council, and we want to thank everyone who participated in the community feedback period.

Between May 9 and June 6, 2025, we connected with 450 community members to shape the plan. Your input was invaluable, with feedback received through 223 surveys, 12 detailed submissions, and conversations with over 200 people at our eight pop-up events. The DAMP was endorsed by Council at the 6 August 2025 Council meeting.

Here are some of the key highlights and actions we will deliver as part of the Plan:

• Help people keep their pets by making the ‘Home Together’ program bigger. This program helps pet owners when they are having a tough time.
• Make it easier for people to adopt pets by having special pet adoption days every few months.
• Teach people how to care for their pets by running free dog training sessions every few months.
• Keep cats and wildlife safe by changing the cat curfew, so cats must stay inside from sunset until sunrise.
• Help pet owners who don’t have much money by offering cheap vet visits and free or low-cost desexing and microchipping.
• Make parks and public spaces cleaner with a 14-month test of dog-waste bag stations at up to 12 places.
• Make sure everyone is safe by changing rules for people who walk groups of dogs, including permits for this

Click here to view the final DAMP and find out more about how Council helps to manage animals around Port Phillip.

You can read the community engagement report that outlines what we heard from our community. Your feedback helped to shape the development of the Plan.

The Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026 to 2029 (DAMP) will focus on cats and dogs specifically, addressing important issues such as pet registration, nuisance management, dog attack prevention, overpopulation, the regulation of domestic animal businesses, the provision of dog waste bags and more. We appreciate everyone who provided feedback on the Domestic Animal Management Plan 2026 to 2029 (DAMP). The consultation is now closed.

If you would like to receive updates on this project, click the 'follow' button in the top left-hand corner of the page.

Your feedback will shape decisions about:

• How we invest our time and resources.
• All actions are open for reconsideration, unless mandated by legislation.

Parts of the this plan that are not able to be influenced include:

Under the Domestic Animals Act 1994, a DAMP must outline programs, services and strategies to:

• Promote and encourage responsible ownership of dogs and cats.
• Ensure that people comply with the Act, regulations and legislation.
• Minimise risk of attacks by dogs on people and animals.
• Address over-population and high euthanasia rates for dogs and cats.
• Encourage registration and identification of dogs and cats.
• Minimise potential for dogs and cats to create a nuisance.
• Effectively identify all dangerous, menacing and restricted breed dogs and ensure that these dogs are kept in compliance with Act and regulations.
• Provide for review of existing orders and Local Laws made under the Act.
• Provide for review of any other matters related to the management of dogs and cats.
• Timelines. The current DAMP sunsets 4 December 2025. DAMP must be approved by November.

We're eager to hear your feedback and combine this with other considerations such as costing, feasibility, and expert advice to make sure we create the best possible outcome for everyone.

Feedback received will help us refine our approach and ensure the safety of everyone in our community, including our beloved pets.

The survey included questions about the provision of dog waste bags in our public spaces.