Table A1.
Description of each complaint code, alleging a welfare issue.
| Complaint Code | Description |
|---|---|
| Abandonment | An animal was abandoned/left by the owner either at their abode or somewhere else such as in the bush. |
| Baiting/Poisoning | An animal was poisoned or planned to be poisoned. |
| Causing captive animal to be injured/killed by dog | A person let a captive animal be injured/killed by a dog. |
| Cruelty | A person was reported to have abused an animal. |
| Dog fighting or other prohibited offence | A person was reported as allowing dogs to fight or conducting other specifically prohibited acts. |
| Emergency relief | Emergency relief is required for an animal left unattended because its owner experienced an emergency (e.g., flood or being hit by a car). |
| Hot animal in car | An animal was left unattended in a car during hot weather. |
| Insufficient food and/or water | An animal has insufficient food and/or water. |
| Keeping or using animal for blooding/coursing a dog | A person used a live bait for blooding/coursing a dog. |
| Knowingly allowing an animal to kill/injure another | A person allows one animal to kill/injuring another one, and does nothing to stop them. |
| No exercise/confined/tethered | An animal is confined or tethered and not given a suitable amount of exercise. |
| No shelter | An animal is not provided with suitable shelter provisions. |
| No treatment | An animal did not receive appropriate medical treatment when needed. |
| Overcrowding | The number of animals was too high for the living space provided. |
| Poor dog condition | The general condition of an animal is poor. (e.g., messy/matted coat, pussy eyes, etc.) |
| Poor living condition | The living environment of the animal is poor. |
| Prohibition order breached | An owner violated a prohibition order a. |
| Tail docking or other surgical procedure | Tail docking or other surgical procedure (e.g., declaw removal, etc.) was conducted on an animal. |
| Unknown | Unknown |
a Prohibition order-A prohibition order is given by the court when a person convicted of an animal welfare offense must not possess any or specific animal for a prescribed period of time [8].