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Things You Should Know About Restricted Breed Dogs
In response to the community concern about dog attacks the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 was amended in December 2001 to impose requirements on certain breeds of dogs. In Victoria 'Restricted Breed' dogs are defined as those prohibited from being imported into Australia by the Commonwealth Customs (Prohibited Imports) Regulations 1956, including the Dogo Argentino, the Japanese Tosa, the Fila Brasileiro, the Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canerio) and the American Pit Bull Terrier (or Pit Bull Terrier). Of these, the American Pit Bull Terrier and the Perro de Presa Canario are the only breeds currently known to exist in Australia.
Councils no longer have the power to register a Restricted Breed Dog, unless the Council is satisfied that the dog was kept in Victoria prior to 2 November 2005 and the dog is currently registered with the Council as another breed.
Restricted Breed Dogs have additional restrictions and limitations placed on them to prevent members of the public from being attacked by such dogs. The document attached provides an overview of the requirements relating to a Restricted Breed Dog, as prescribed in the Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act 1994 and Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Regulations 2005.
To view the attached PDF documents you will need Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free copy can be downloaded from Adobe Acrobat (external link)
 (PDF 270kb)
Dogs declared Restricted Breed Dogs either by an Authorised Officer of Council or by the owner must be identified by an implanted microchip.The State Government has developed a Victorian Declared Dog Registry where Councils must record all dogs declared Dangerous, Menacing and Restricted Breeds. This Registry holds the information of the dog’s owner, the dog's microchip number, a description of the dog and the location where the dog is kept.
The Domestic (Feral and Nuisance) Animals Act is State legislation which is managed by Municipal Councils.
The document has also been translated into ten languages, and the files are available for download below:
| Arabic | 
(PDF 164kb) |
| Cantonese | 
(PDF 1069kb) |
| Croatian | 
(PDF 131kb) |
Greek
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(PDF 139kb) |
Italian
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(PDF 118kb) |
Macedonian
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(PDF 145kb) |
Mandarin
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(PDF 1596kb) |
Spanish
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(PDF 119kb) |
| Turkish | 
(PDF 141kb) |
Vietnamese
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(PDF 151kb) |
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