Licensing and permits

Animal welfare concerns

Under the Animal Welfare Act, we can investigate and prosecute licensed animal premises in breach of welfare conditions. This includes pet shops, dog care centres or anyone with live animals in their business. We can also investigate and act against animal owners if animal's needs are not being met.

If you have concerns about an animal business or the welfare of any animal, you should tell us

Report a welfare concern

You can report a welfare concern about an animal business, animal owner or other animal welfare concerns via our Licensing and Regulations portal (LAR).

You will need to sign in or create an account. Once you have logged in select ‘Requests/Complaints’ to complete the report.

Sign in to LAR

Don't have an account? Register now.

Read our privacy notice which tells you how we use your data.

What happens next?

We will contact you within 10 days to discuss the matter. The council can legally enter the licensed premises unannounced to discuss the complaint with the business owner - we will not share details of the complainant.

In the case of non-licensed premises - for example, a fish tank in a food shop - we can investigate the matter and assess the situation.