Under the above State legislation, all councils are required to provide an impounding facility, commonly known as a Pound, to carry out its regulatory functions for Companion Animals (dogs and cats).
Councils have the option of providing this service through their own facility, or through an approved third party animal welfare organisation.
Tweed Shire Council has proudly established and maintained its own Pound facility for over thirty years. Through dedicated community support and Council funding, Council’s facility at Stotts Creek has been one of the best functioning and regarded Pounds on the North Coast.
An important factor in the success of the facility has been the longstanding presence of Friends of the Pound, who have provided Council with a consistent supply of hard working volunteers who assist Council staff with the care of the animals and the facility. They also provide great assistance to Council with the foster care and rehoming of those unclaimed impounded animals.
Many people have the misconception that animals that are collected and taken to the Pound are automatically euthanized. This is definitely not the case. Council Rangers impound animals for a variety of reasons, including those with existing owners that stray or are lost, those involved in serious attacks, feral animals, or those that are surrendered for medical reasons, or are unwanted by their owners.
The majority of impounded animals with existing microchipped and registered details are returned to their owners. Many other unregistered and unwanted animals are checked and treated for sale and rehoming by either Council or Friends of the Pound, or other animal rescue organisations. A small proportion of the remaining animals may regrettably need to be euthanised for either regulatory, medical or humane reasons.
More detailed information on Council’s recent record in rehoming impounded animals can be found on the Euthanasia and Rehoming Rates page.