Animal Management

RESPONSIBLE PET OWNERSHIP

Pets and domestic animals can be much-loved members of your household but can also be the cause of unhappy neighbourhoods. As an animal owner you are responsible for caring for your pets and ensuring you comply with relevant Local Laws. This section provides information on responsible pet ownership and what you can do if you have a complaint.

Full details of State and Council rules governing pet ownership are available in:

LOST AND FOUND ANIMALS

Council conducts regular patrols. Owners of animals found wandering may be issued infringement notices ($260) and be liable for associated impound fees.

Click here to see what animals are currently in the Council pound.

REGISTRATION AND MICROCHIPPING

Cook Shire Council's Local Law No 2 (Animal Management) 2016 requires all dogs within the local government area to be registered. Exemptions apply for working dogs. Registered dogs are required to display registration tags at all times, which will help ensure a speedy return if your animal is found wandering. Penalties apply. Download a registration form here. Under Queensland Government legislation, animals acquire after December 11, 2010 must also be microchipped.

Owners of dogs within towns are required to pay full registration, while owners outside towns may apply for a tag only registration. There is a discount for registration of de-sexed animals.

The following are considered as towns under Local Law No. 2 (Animal Management) 2016: Ayton, Rossville, Coen, Cooktown, Lakeland, Laura and Marton.

	Full rate	Pensioner rate
Whole dogs	$70	$22.50
Desexed dogs	$22.50	$22.50

For a full list of Council fees click on the following: Schedule of Fees and Charges

URGENT COMPLAINTS

Please notify Cook Shire Council immediately for the following issues:

Dog attacks
Aggressive / dangerous / menacing dog
Livestock wandering on Council-controlled roads (for non-Council roads - Mulligan Highway, Endeavour Valley Road and Shipton's Flat Road - contact the Department of Transport and Main Roads)

To report any of these incidents, please contact Council's Animal Control team on 4082 0500 - this number will be answered after hours.

NON URGENT COMPLAINTS

Non urgent animal complaints may include noisy or wandering dogs or other nuisance pets. These should be lodged within normal business hours by contacting Council on 4082 0500 or using our online Contact Us option.