Annual dog registration considered by ACT government in wake of fatal dog attack

City services minister Meegan Fitzharris admitted the current system of lifetime registration was inadequate, and in the wake of the fatal dog attack in Canberra's north, was an issue that needed to be addressed.

"We don't have a good picture of how many dogs there currently are," Ms Fitzharris said.

"The current, one-off lifetime registration does not provide an adequate understanding of dogs in our community nor further responsible pet ownership."

Staff at the directorate are looking into registration methods used across the country, the minister said.

"NSW is one of the few jurisdictions that has a lifetime registration and therefore because we're an island within NSW we have a similar scheme that has been in place since 2008.

"I'm interested in whether a different scheme could work better for Canberra, whatever recommendations I receive will be the subject of community consultation in 2018."

The problem with the current system, the minister said, was while there were about 63,000 dogs registered in Canberra, there was no way to tell how many of those were still in the territory, still with the same owner and even if they're still alive.

According to the statistics provided by the government, there are 63,334 dogs living in Canberra.

Kambah recorded the most dogs, followed by Ngunnawal, Gordon, Wanniassa and Dunlop.

Breed information provided by the government showed "crossbreed" was the top breed across the majority of suburbs in Canberra.

"It doesn't [tell us anything]," Minister Fitzharris said. .

"It's probably one of those issues around a lot of those breeds are crossbreeds, it could be a cavoodle, but there are almost limitless possibilities about what sort of dog it could be."

Opposition leader Alistair Coe said the priority was on dangerous dogs, but "improving the accuracy of the database of registered dogs is something that should be happening now".

Wanniassa resident Bryan Read decided to get his dog Tubs, a crossbreed, for a variety of reasons.

"His size, he doesn't moult, he's good natured and he's intelligent," Mr Read said.

For Conder resident Peter O'Brien, his puppies, Talulah the puggle, a beagle cross pug, and Archie the jug, jack russell cross pug, were purchased for their lap dog like tendencies.

"We wanted pug crossbreed because pugs are notorious for breathing difficulties. So they breed them with other dogs to make their snout longer," Mr O'Brien said.

Jana Teivonen, of Chisholm, has had her labrador cross staffy Oscar for two years. She doesn't think annual registration is a good idea, but would like to see greater vetting of people adopting and buying pets to improve the current system.

"I believe if a dog is being adopted or taken to a new home, they should be there for life," Ms Teivonen said.

"We should not give a dog to someone who isn't fully committed, you can only think how they would treat it if they didn't really want the best for this dog for life."

Ms Teivonen said people would also forget to register their dogs each year. She said she'd like the government to keep it simple, and for people to take greater responsibility for their pets to ensure the details were up to date.

Ms Fitzharris, who grew up with dachshunds, silky terriers and a German shepherd, said it's clear Canberrans love their dogs.

"In our city, as the bush capital, we have lots of opportunities to be out in public with our dogs. But I have been concerned around dog attacks, and a lot of reports to me from people where they're concerned about dogs, even if they're not dangerous dogs, about dogs being off leash in public areas."

Ms Fitzharris said the information she's received has informed the animal welfare and management strategy and the work the government is prioritising, on dog attacks.

"My priority at the moment is to get through and pass legislation before the end of the year about dangerous dogs, I think that's the community's priority," she said.