Why is Dog Registration important and valuable?

City of Gold Coast Dog Registration helps ensure that your best mate can be safely returned to you if you are separated. Did you know that your Registration also helps pay for off leash dog areas, poo bag dispensers, pet education and training programs, lost and found services, lifetime registration tags and Animal Management services?! Read more below to discover the most popular registered dog names and the discounts and concessions on offer for registration.

The Gold Coast provides an enviable lifestyle to all of its residents, including the furry ones.  The city boasts 165 dog off leash areas for our pets to enjoy, including over 5 kilometres of pristine beaches, a number of parks with water access, and fenced areas with agility equipment for our training enthusiasts.

Check out the City Mobile App

Find a dog off leash area or doggy amenities with the City Mobile App, downloadable on android or apple, visit cityofgoldcoast.com.au/dogparks. 

Know the rules

It’s important to remember to follow the rules when using these public areas to keep our pets and the community safe:

  • Your dog must be under the immediate supervision of a person aged 17+ years and under effective control at all times, which, under State Law, means able to be controlled by using voice commands.

  • Always be considerate of others and do not allow your dog to attack or harm another person or animal.

  • Manage noise to not cause a nuisance.

  • Your dog must wear a collar with its registration tag attached and not be regulated (dangerous or menacing).

  • Ensure your dog does not chase or harm wildlife.

  • Dog waste must be disposed of appropriately.

  • Children must be supervised at all times.

Read the signs

Always check the signs before allowing your dog off leash to make sure you are within the boundaries of a designated area.

If there are no signs, your dog must remain on leash and under effective control by a person holding the leash who is physically able to control the dog. This includes entering or leaving your property, vehicle, water access or an off leash area.

New laws

Last year, the Queensland Government rolled out tougher laws for dog owners, including:

·       Increased penalties of $834 for dogs that are found to be not under effective control (on and off leash).

·       New fines with possible jail time for owners who fail to control their dog, causing harm to another animal or person.

Penalties

·       Under the changes, a dog owner could face three (3) years jail and be fined up to $116,830 if their pet maims or kills a human.

·       Failing to take reasonable steps to prevent a dog attack could result in a $100,140 penalty.

Five (5) dog breeds were also banned, including American Pit Bull Terrier, as part of these legislative changes.

For more information visit www.qld.gov.au/families/government/pets/pet-laws.

French Bulldog puppy in arms with the tag "register your best mate"
Golden Retriever reclining with the tag "register your best mate"

Importance of Identification

Identification is your pet’s ticket home. Simply identifying your dog by wearing a collar with a name tag and phone number, a registration tag attached and a microchip will give your pet the best chance of being reunited if found lost or wondering.

Under State Law all dogs are required to be registered from 12 weeks of age or after 14 days of coming to the city to live. Microchipping is another form of identification required for both cats and dogs from 12 weeks of age.

Registration allows the City of Gold Coast to gain a better account of its dog population. In order to plan for the distribution of facilities, like off leash exercise areas and dog bag dispensers.

Registration fees partly fund the dog bag dispensers as a courtesy to dog owners, with a friendly reminder to carry a supply of bags and pick up after your dog.  

Registration also benefits:

  • Lifetime registration tags – free replacement tags.

  • Pet education – delivery of free proactive programs, Be Pet Smart school-based education, attendance at over 30 events with educational resources available to educate the community on responsible pet ownership.

  • Lost and found services – City pounds and animal holding pens keep pets safe until reunited with their owners.

  • Animal Management services - City officers respond to reports of attacks, nuisance, unregistered or excess dogs, whilst patrolling for non-compliance and collection of wandering animals for community safety.

Make sure to register your dog and help keep them safe.

·       The City offer discount and concessions for pensioners, Dogs QLD members, desexed dogs and three year registrations.*

·       Free registration is available for seniors (60 years and over) and veterans for the first 2 desexed dogs.*

·       The City is offering FREE registration for dogs under one year of age until the end of August 2026.*

*Conditions apply.

Training videos

To help educate the community on responsible pet ownership and increase community safety, the City has free training videos for dog owners available from ‘We care about PETS’ series. View the videos at cityofgoldcoast.com.au/peteducation

Kelpie dog with tag "register your best mate"

Gold Coast’s favourites

Is your dog one of the most popular pups on the Gold Coast? Registration data shows us the most popular dog names and breeds:

Top 10 names:

1.    Bella

2.    Charlie

3.    Coco

4.    Luna

5.    Molly

6.    Buddy

7.    Daisy

8.    Teddy

9.    Ruby

10. Max

Top 10 breeds:

1.    Labrador Retriever

2.    Cavalier King Charles Spaniel

3.    Maltese

4.    Border Collie

5.    Staffordshire Bull Terrier

6.    Toy Poodle

7.    Australian Kelpie

8.    Golden Retriever

9.    Jack Russell Terrier

10. American Staffordshire Terrier

Cath U'Ren