Toowoomba pound at capacity for dogs

A Toowoomba resident said he thought he ‘was going mad’ this weekend after a year-old husky turned up at his doorstep and his only option was to ‘release him’ after being told the pound was full.

The council-run Lost Pets and Animal Management Centre at Drayton, Toowoomba, at 393 Anzac Ave, Drayton. Picture: Google Maps.

Toowoomba residents who found stray dogs at the weekend were left at a loss after discovering the council pound was at capacity for dogs and had “pro-actively” closed its facility to prevent overcrowding.

Josh Davson said he wasn’t sure if he was “going mad or not” when a year-old husky kept pawing at his door on Saturday and “everyone told me to let him go – owners and council”.

When the owners made no haste to pick up the husky, and he couldn’t leave it in the backyard alone with his dogs, he said he first tried to call the RSPCA.

“They put me onto a dog welfare group, then they put me on council,” he said.

“(I) called council and the advice I was given was wait until Monday 9am, release him or contact the owners on Facebook.”

Toowoomba residents were sent away from the pound this weekend with any stray or roaming dogs after it closed its doors to dogs to prevent 'overcrowding'. Picture: Supplied

He said the dog was finally returned to his owner.

It comes as animal welfare advocates renew their calls for Toowoomba Regional Council to improve the animal handling facilities, saying that the “facility is not coping”.

In December 2023, a Toowoomba couple copped more than $1500 in fines for breaking their dogs out of the pound’s dropbox from concern they would have remained there until after Christmas.

That same month allegations arose that a beloved 10-year-old staffordshirebull terrier died as a result of a stay at the same facility in the same month, which council has denied.

A neighbour and friend of Missy’s family said within 24 hours, the dog started to have seizures and had to be put down after being placed in the pound.

“It’s just ridiculous, the facility is not coping and they haven’t even advertised they were closed,” she said.

Two 10-month-old border collies were broken out of Toowoomba's animal management centre in December 2023 by their owners. The same month, claims against the centre's treatment of Missy (bottom right) resulted in her having seizures and needing to be put down.

The news has reignited her petition to push for changes, with more than 2715 signatures since she started it with a chorus of voices joining in – some also starting their own petitions. 

The petitions are a renewed call for Toowoomba Regional Council to follow alternative after hours animal collection methods, such as those implemented by Ipswich Council. 

In response, councillor Bill Cahill, who holds the environmental portfolio, said that the centre and the use of the drop-off facility was under review to consider “other viable options”.

He said no animals had died in the boxes and utilisation was “considered very low”.

Within the four weeks over May and June, two cats each week on average were delivered through the after hours boxes – nine cats and no dogs in total, he said.

“The decision to temporarily close the after hours drop off facility was a pro-active measure to increase animal welfare and reduce overcrowding risk,” Mr Cahill said.

A statement from RSPCA said they advised people to not keep found animals, but rather help them get back to their owners or try to get them rehomed.

“Unfortunately, we are seeing a decline in adoption interest at our Toowoomba shelter,” a RSPCA spokesman said.

Responsible pet ownership

Toowoomba Regional Council encourages and promotes a range of responsible pet ownership measures.

Dog owners have a responsibility to control their dogs all the time in public.

They also have a duty to ensure dogs are properly enclosed in private yards and do not wander.

Keep dog registrations updated

Council encourages residents to ensure all dog registrations are up to date and that they also microchip their dog or cat.

It is a requirement under State Government Legislation, the Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008, to register your dog and microchip dogs and cats (cats do not have to be registered under Queensland legislation).

Registering dogs with correct contact details is one of the best ways to ensure lost pets are reunited with their owners as quickly as possible.

Checking on missing animals

Council has an online impoundment register which allows residents to search for a lost pet. Council also lists the websites of other rescue agencies.

If an animal is not claimed after a minimum of three full working days from the date of impoundment for unidentified animals (no identifying tag or not microchipped) or five full working days from the date of impoundment for identified animals, Council will attempt to rehouse the animal with an approved welfare agency.

To find out more about responsible pet ownership, including registration and microchipping, visit www.tr.qld.gov.au/dogrego