Every week we hear stories about 'beloved pets' frightening or attacking members of our community, hunting native wildlife to the point of localised extinction or hazardously straying onto busy roads.
Companion animals can be our best friends and our protectors.
However if they are not properly cared for, they can become a danger or a nuisance to the community and the environment, or they can be harmed or injured. More often than not, when such incidents occur, the ultimate victim is the animal involved. Most Australians are keen to adopt pets as companions. Despite this, each year in New South Wales, thousands of animals are needlessly destroyed in council pounds because their owners can not be identified, or as a consequence of court orders which could have been avoided if owners had taken responsibility for their pets in the first place. The objective of this forum is to educate the legal profession and the wider community about the Act.