New Dog and Cat Laws
New laws for dog and cat owners have been introduced in South Australia. These changes are designed to improve dog and cat management and welfare.
Under the new laws:
- From 1 July 2018 all dogs and cats over a certain age must be microchipped
- All dogs and cats born after 1 July 2018 must be desexed (exemptions apply for working dogs and registered breeders)
Dogs and cats born before 1 July 2018 will not be required to be desexed; they will however be required to be microchipped.
Buying or Selling a dog or cat?
The Dog and Cat Managment Board has put out an informative pamphlet covering your responsibilities when buying or selling a dog or cat, in order to adhere to all guidelines.
New rules for Breeders and Sellers
There are also new rules for breeders and sellers, including:
- From 1 July 2018, breeders and sellers who breed dogs and cats for sale must register with the Dog and Cat Management Board as a breeder
- Breeders and sellers must now adhere to new industry standards and guidelines, which stipulate the minimum welfare conditions that must be met to comply with the state’s animal welfare laws. For more information, visit the animal welfare section of environment.sa.gov.au
More information for breeders can be found on the Dog and Cat Management Board website - http://dogandcatboard.com.au/for-breeders
Dogs and Cats Online
From 1 July 2018, dog and cat registration, along with the way you manage your pet dog or cat’s microchip, health and breeder information, will be simplified with the introduction of a new website.
Dogs and Cats Online will be the central point for all your dog and cat management payments and information, replacing the 68 individual council systems and private microchip databases currently in place.
Not only will Dogs and Cats Online simplify your dog or cat management needs, but it will streamline the process for councils, vets and animal welfare agencies too, giving these organisations instant access to information from around the state. This will help them reunite you and your lost dog or cat quicker.
For more information on the new laws you can visit the gooddogsa.com website.