Animal complaints

If you find an animal and it does or does not have an identification tag with a phone number, you must Contact Council as soon as possible. Council does not provide an animal collection service after hours however the details of the found animal will be noted and collection arranged for business hours.

It is against the law to keep any animal that you find. It is important to be cautious when approaching strange animals. A lost animal may be afraid and attack.

RSPCA Castlemaine has provided refuge, care and rehabilitation to animals since 1995 when Midland Animal Welfare joined our organisation. In the past year alone, RSPCA Castlemaine has cared for 656 animals from surrounding areas. If your pet/livestock ends up in the RSPCA, a release fee is payable upon release of impounded livestock. Impounded stock will be held for a period of eight days and unclaimed stock will be sold by tender.

You can arrange an appointment to claim impounded stock, by Contacting our Local Laws Officer.

All reports of animal cruelty or neglect should be directed to the RSPCA Victoria, via their cruelty report hotline on 92 242 222 or by following the link below. Please note, the Castlemaine RSPCA is a pound and shelter only and does not handle any such complaints.

All reports of lost and found animals should be reported to Councils Local Laws Department by Contacting our offices. In addition, any reports concerning lost animals can also be phoned through the pound itself by calling 54 725 277.

The Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 covers noise from dogs or cats. A dog or cat can be regarded as a nuisance if the animal creates a noise that persistently or continuously disturbs a neighbour. Barking dogs can also be considered unreasonable noise under Section 48A of the EP Act.

Ongoing issues should be reported to your local council. If the council determines there is a nuisance under the Animals Act, they can give a notice to the owner to prevent he nuisance or can issue a fine for the offence. Court action is also available in some cases.

Contact us to report ongoing barking dog issues. To report a barking dog please download and complete our Barking Dog - Noise Nuisance - Diaries which you can download below.