Port Stephens council is set to crack down on dog barking with a new policy that would give rangers more power to deal with complaints.
The new policy would remove barking in some situations from the 'nuisance order' category and treat it as an 'offensive noise'.
Some of the situations include barking before 7 am and after 8 pm, if barking ‘episodes’ occur more than 3 times a day, and barking that interrupts phone calls, T.V, study or conversation.
Residents who want to lodge complaints will be asked at the start of the process if they would appear as witnesses in court. They will then be asked to fill out a ‘barking dog diary’ and record examples of barking.
Rangers acting on these diaries would have the power to issue dog owners with a 28-day noise abatement order, which could be escalated to infringements and court attendance notices.
The proposed policy is on public exhibition until next month and is open to submissions.
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