If you observe threatening behaviour, or if you are attacked or rushed at by a dog, or your pet or animal has been attacked within the Yarra Ranges, call us on 1300 368 333 immediately (24 hours).

For more information: Report a dog attack

We recognise that dogs play a significant role within people’s lives and are often considered to be part of the family. As well as this, dogs encourage exercise and support mental health and wellbeing of owners. We understand the need to have safe places where dogs can be exercised off-leash, particularly with the diminishing size of private backyards.

We also acknowledge the right of other users to have access to open areas without having dogs invade personal space.

Broad objectives are to:

• Balance the needs for dogs in open space with the needs of the broader community
• Provide a diversity of opportunities for dogs in open space.
• Provide off-leash areas that are fit for purpose.
• Plan for off-leash areas for existing and future populations.
• Ensure environmental values and protections of open space are retained.
• Improve education and regulation for dogs in open space.
• Establish standards for dog off-leash areas.

When you register your pet, you're helping more than just your furry friend – you're supporting a range of important services that benefit the whole community. Whilst registration fees aren’t currently used for infrastructure like dog off-leash areas, they do help fund:

• Animal management services
• Community programs
• Initiatives that promote responsible pet ownership
• Efforts to keep pets and people safe

These fees also help Council respond to changing needs and continue providing essential services year after year. Learn more about how your registration supports the community by visiting our website.

Council plays a crucial role in the planning and provision of dog off-leash areas. Under Local Laws, Council has the authority to designate these areas, ensuring they are clearly defined with legible boundaries. Additionally, Council creates management plans that outline provisions for both off-leash and on-leash parks and reserves. Council also undertakes activities to promote responsible dog ownership and community wellbeing for dogs, dog owners and non-owners alike.

Feedback from this consultation will be used to inform the development of the People and Dogs in Parks Plan. Specifically, responses will help shape demand and need for off-leash areas, locations, distribution, and accessibility, among other factors. It will also inform the type of infrastructure our community would like to see within the municipality.

Factors taken into consideration will include the availability of open space, surrounding infrastructure and co-location with other recreation infrastructure (such as playspaces and sports grounds), demographics of the area, distribution, accessibility, connectivity to the area via paths, trails and car, the size of the space available, and proximity to main roads, among other factors. Considerations will always be on a site-by-site basis.

It is important that the People and Dogs in Parks Plan is based on research and community feedback. Therefore, no major changes to dog off-leash areas will be made until the community has had its say on the draft Plan. Furthermore, we will engage with the community again before implementing any recommendations of the Plan at specific sites.

To date, Yarra Ranges Council has taken the approach of not providing fully fenced dog off-leash areas. However, from June 2023, Council commenced a trial of fully fencing and gating the off-leash area at Kimberley Reserve, Chirnside Park. This trial was undertaken as a means to gather feedback from the community on desire and need for such infrastructure within our municipality – particularly in response to the decreasing size of private back yards, increasing medium- and high-density living, and also offering those with mobility issue an option/opportunity for exercising their dogs off-leash. Research in the area highlights both positives and negatives to fully fencing dog off-leash areas.

Council will not take the approach of fully fencing all dog off-leash areas. Establishing such an area is not an inexpensive endeavour (establishing a fully-fenced dog off-leash area costs approximately $350,000) and dog owners make up slightly less than 50% of our community. Council seeks to avoid providing too many areas that are for the dedicated use of a single user group, especially given the demand on our open spaces that already exists. Council is against fencing off too many of our natural open spaces to ensure they remain attractive, open, and inviting for all. Additionally, a lot of our existing off-leash areas are small, in neighbourhood and/or smaller parks, and located to avoid the need to fence them, instead making use of natural boundaries and landmarks.

However, we would like to hear from the community regarding their desire for this type of infrastructure to be located within the Yarra Ranges and whether they are likely to make use of it.

Council regularly receives requests to supply bags in more or specific locations. Council currently supplies bags at two locations – Lillydale Lake, which is a Regional Standard Park, and Kimberley Reserve, Chirnside Park, the location of our fully-fenced trial.

Bag supply is at a great cost to Council ($16,000+ per year) and has not shown to increase the compliance of owners picking up after their dog. Owners are also required by the Domestic Animals Act 1994 to carry their own means of disposing of dog waste and should not be relying on Council to provide for them.

What we have heard previously in relation to dogs in Yarra Ranges:

• Much clearer communication is needed around dog off-leash areas to assist the community in understanding the location, function, and infrastructure available at each location; communication around the boundaries is needed on-the-ground via signage, bollards, footpath decals, and other means, and; better education overall is needed for both dog owners and non-owners, regarding etiquette, awareness of locations, and signage. Etiquette around responsible dog ownership, particularly around picking up after your dog, is needed as we have a consistently reported poop problem across our municipality!
• Over half our community walk the dog as part of their physical exercise.
• A significant number of our youth population are getting out and about to walk the dog – 14-25-year-olds are actually the group most likely to.
• Dog ownership is particularly concentrated in the Urban area, where there is also a higher density of people, but similar percentages of people in the Hills, Valley, and Upper Yarra Ranges areas report walking their dog for physical exercise.
• More females (61%) than males (53%) report walking/exercising dogs as part of their recreation. This is especially true of those under 25 years old (69% of females compared to 37% of males).
• Linkages in the form of paths and trails, to, from, and between parks and open spaces with dedicated dog off-leash areas, are extremely important. Especially in determining whether or not people will use them. About half of all dog owners choose to actually use dedicated off-leash areas, and them being close to home is one of the main influences on this decision.
• 56% of owners use dog off-leash areas to enable their dogs to socialise with other dogs.
• However, 28% of owners and/or their dogs have experienced dogs not fully controlled by their owners, and 9% of owners have experienced aggressive dogs and/or their owners!
• Dog off-leash areas have previously been ranked 11th out of 12 by the community when prioritised in terms of their importance to other park infrastructure.
  1. Cleanliness
  2. Security/safety
  3. Gardens and trees
  4. Grass maintenance
  5. Shade
  6. Toilets
  7. Paths and trails
  8. Seats and tables
  9. Playgrounds
  10. Signs
  11. Dog off-leash areas
  12. Lighting

The People and Dogs in Parks Plan (PDPP) will provide a 10-year policy and strategy framework, with recommended 4-year review points, to guide the planning and provision for dog off leash areas in Yarra Ranges.

Dog owners and their dogs are recognised as legitimate users of open space, and as with others who use open space, are expected to act responsibly and in consideration of other people.

The People and Dogs in Parks Plan will provide a consistent approach in planning for off-leash areas, with space allocated based on accessibility and demand. It will outline the policy regarding the management of dog off-leash areas, review the provision of these spaces and makes recommendations for any alterations that will make these areas more appealing.

The Victorian Domestic Animals and the Local Government Acts provide LGAs with the authority to put in place regulations (‘Orders’ and Local Laws) relating to the management and control of dogs in public places.

Dogs in Yarra Ranges must be on a leash in all public space, including parks and reserves, unless the park or reserve (or site within a park or reserve) is designated for off-leash activities.

Yarra Ranges currently has 23 sites where dogs can be exercised off-leash, as well as the Parks Victoria managed site at the Olinda Precinct. You can find information about these spaces on our website Exercising your dog Yarra Ranges Council.

There are 9 sites where dogs are not permitted either on or off the leash.

In addition, dogs are not permitted:

Regardless of whether the area is designated as on-leash or off-leash, owners are required to exercise control over their dog – via voice command, hand command, or leash no longer than 3 metres. They must also not allow the dog to worry, threaten or harass any person or animal. This is not only a Council regulation, but State Government Legislation.

Non-dog owners, those who do not wish to interact with dogs, or those who are fearful of dogs, also have a responsibility to familiarise themselves with the location of off-leash areas and to avoid these or behave accordingly in and around these areas.