Too many times do we hear of stories about animals being abused by their owners because they either can't deal with them or they're just evil people.
Well, Frankston Council in Melbourne is hoping that will be a thing of the past as it looks towards introducing a pet owners test to ensure people will be responsible enough to look after an animal.
The types of questions haven't been specified, according to the Herald Sun, but it would seek to weed out the people who aren't the right fit to look after a cat, dog, bird etc.
Councillor Kris Bolam told the newspaper: "Those who didn't pass 'shouldn't even be looking at owning a pet. We expect parents to demonstrate capability to be responsible parents but we don't expect the same standard when talking about pet ownership.
"As a society, we should be expecting the same level of personal investment and responsibility by budding pet owners towards their pets."
People on social media were on both sides of the debate
"Great idea but is it feasible? Some people are so good in lying you will never catch the real bad ones," wrote one person.
"So many people get dogs purely for protection, and people whom just leave their dog's at home all day and night, don't walk them. If you want a dog bloody look after it. Just like a kid," said another.
You'd think this would be a universally accepted and celebrated move in the right direction to ensure animals across the council would stop being abused - but the idea has been criticised by an industry professional.
Save-A-Dog Scheme president Pam Weaver said the move wouldn't allow for a lot of variables that exist when owning a pet.
While the test could be pretty accurate, it wouldn't be a one size fits all and there would be some people who would inevitably be pushed back even though they would be perfect candidates.
This is the latest council to install new regulations on pets in a bid to improve society.
In Darwin, the city council has just passed new legislation that will see pet owners investigated if their pooch barks for more than three minutes.
Specifically, the law kicks in when a dog has been yapping for more than three minutes in a 30-minute window at night, as well as six minutes in an hour during the day time.
You can imagine City of Darwin Council workers will be thrilled by getting to investigate all these pooches.
Featured Image Credit: PATopics: Community, Animals, Australia