How can I be a responsible dogowner?

ALONG with loving your dog, as a dogowner, you have a number of legal and moral responsibilities to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your pet and others.

All dogowners should ensure that their dogs: are registered and microchipped receive proper care, attention, nutrition and shelter are adequately exercised (check out where your local dogexercise areas are) are kept under control at all times — this means ensuring the dog obeys your commands and is either on a leash or under voice control in areas where it is allowed to run free do not injure or distress any livestock, people or property do not cause a nuisance to neighbouring residents (this includes the dogowner’s responsibility to clean up after his/her dog if it defecates in public)

To be on the safe side, it is always best to avoid letting your dog run free in areas where small children, livestock, poultry or protected wildlife are present. You should identify areas where you can exercise your dog off a leash.

If you own a dog that is classified as dangerous or menacing, you have more responsibilities to ensure people’s safety.