Tick of approval for facility

Council’s impound facility located at the City of Mount Gambier depot has been audited by the South Australian Dog and Cat Management Board, and the existing approval has been reconfirmed.

The additional audit was arranged by Council following community concerns shared on social media regarding the welfare of impounded dogs in our care during warmer weather.

City of Mount Gambier General Manager Corporate and Regulatory Services Jane Fetherstonhaugh said council wanted to allay any concerns regarding wandering dogs in their care.

“So we invited a senior officer of the Board to come down from Adelaide to inspect council’s facility and discuss our process and procedures when handling dogs,” she said. “Our facility was already approved to hold dogs for 72 hours in accordance with the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 in July last year, but given recent community concerns we wanted to ensure that we continue to follow the Dog and Cat Management Board’s guidelines.”

A Dog and Cat Management Board senior project officer inspected council’s temporary impound facility this week and the Board has formally advised Council that it is satisfied with the facility.

“During the visit, we also discussed preliminary plans for future impounding facilities, as we’ll also need to consider and plan for the potential requirement to impound cats in the future which is under consideration as part of the current review of the Dog and Cat Management Act.”

Wandering dogs are housed in council’s temporary pound during the 72 hour hold period.

“We keep the dogs as safe and comfortable as possible until we can reunite them with their owner, or transfer them to one of our partner organisations for rehoming,” Ms Fetherstonhaugh said.

Council’s impound facility was constructed in accordance the Dog and Cat Management Board Detention Facility Guidelines which outline that dog pens must be fully enclosed and constructed from impervious, washable and durable materials.

“Please remember that the best way to keep your dog out of the pound is to ensure that you microchip and register your animal to enable it to be returned to you quickly by council’s general inspectorate team,” she said.