Important Information for Dog Owners

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ANIMAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

BARKING DOGS

CONCESSIONS

DOG ATTACKS OR Harassment

DOGS IN STIRLING LINEAR PARK

DOG PARK

DOGS ON LEADS

DOGS IN UTILITIES

HOW MANY DOGS CAN I KEEP?

LATE REGISTRATION FEES

LEGAL AGE FOR DOG REGISTRATION

LOST OR ESCAPED DOGS

OTHER HELPFUL WEBSITES

REGISTRATION

It is compulsory to register dogs when they reach the age of three months
The registered owner of the dog must be a person 16 years or over.
Dog registrations are for one year and are renewable annually as at 1st July.
The dog owner must advise Council immediately if:-

the dog is moved to different premises
the dog dies or is missing for more than 72 hours
ownership of the dog is transferred to another person

To advise Council of any changes you can either contact us by phone between 8.30am 5.00pm Monday to Friday on 84080400, call in at any Council Contact Centre or send us an email at mail@ahc.sa.gov.au.

5. The dog must wear a collar with the registration disc attached when in a public place.

REGISTRATION FORM

To register a dog for the first time or if transferring registration of a dog, an application form must be completed and lodged at Council. If posting registration form please ensure that payment is included with the registration form. Please click here to obtain a copy of the form which you can then print.

HOW MANY DOGS CAN BE KEPT

Council by-laws generally limit the number of dogs that can be kept per household to two, however application in writing can be made to have this number increased. Special conditions apply.

LOST OR ESCAPED DOGS

You should notify Council immediately of the loss of your dog giving full details of your name/address, phone numbers, description of dog and registration details and time and place the dog went missing. A seven-day a week service is available to assist you in the recovery of your dog.

DOG ATTACKS OR HARASSMENT

Council has specialist Dog Management Officers available to mediate and counsel should you become the victim of a dog attack or harassment. If a complaint is received the Officer will investigate and may issue a fine by way of expiation notice or if the offence is more serious or repeated the owner or person in charge of the dog may be summoned to appear in court to answer to a criminal charge. A court may, instead of or in addition to any fine, make other orders including that the dog be destroyed, disposed of or controlled in a specified manner. A court may also order payment and compensation for any injury, damage or loss suffered as a result of any action of the dog.

BARKING DOGS

It is an offence if a dog creates a noise by barking which persistently occurs or continues to such a degree that it unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of a person. Dog owners are responsible for making sure that their dog barking does not become a neighbourhood problem. Should this occur Council Dog Management Officers could offer you advice on means of correcting the habit including hire of training videos, anti-barking collars and professional dog training facilitators. Remember continual barking is an offence and fines do apply.

Brochures can be viewed at http://www.dogsncats.asn.au

DOG REGISTRATION FEES

Dog registration fees in South Australia have not been increased since the introduction of the Dog and Cat Management Act in 1995 and are believed to be the lowest fees for dog registrations in Australia.
All income from dog registrations and expiations received by Councils is dedicated to animal management and public safety, recreational opportunities for pets and their owners and educational materials and community events.

Councils now have responsibility for setting dog registration fees and rebates, which must be approved by the Minister for Environment and Conservation.

Dog owners are advised that currently registered dogs will remain registered for the year ending 30th June. Any dogs unregistered from the 1st September in any year could be charged a late payment fee in addition to the new registration fee applicable, and a fine for having an unregistered dog.

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Dog Rego 2011-12

Concession Cards

CONCESSIONS

Written proof is required to claim any rebate concession and a declaration is required for working dogs. Pensioner concession applies for the first 2 dogs only for each qualified applicant.

A concession applies where the dog is owned by a prescribed person as follows:
If you hold a current concession card or are in receipt of a concession payment you may be eligible for a rebate on your registration. You will need to provide confirmation of your pension and / or concession card details. For further information please contact Council on 84080400.

An additional two concessions have been added to the amended Act allowing for people who have their dog microchipped and/or who have trained their dog to a certain level (presently considered to be equivalent to Level 3), to receive a discount if evidence is submitted at the time of registration.

Acceptable evidence can be:

For microchipping - a microchip registration certificate showing the registration details on the database are current. These can be obtained from the registry holding the details of your dog's microchip.
For training - must be written certification from Dog Obedience clubs and other accredited training organisations, that the dog has reached and passed an appropriate level, presently considered to be Level 3 obedience training. Once the Dog and Cat Management Board has considered further detail, other levels may be accredited by the Board.

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LEGAL AGE FOR DOG REGISTRATION

The legal age of a person allowed for registration of a dog has been changed from 18 to 16 years of age. This was done to align the requirements of this Act with other Acts where legal ages are 16 i.e. driving a motor vehicle, leaving school.

DOG PARK

Completed in May 2011 the Park provides over 2 acres for off leash dog exercise. Features include:

Separate puppy / small dog area
Dog agility equipment
Water play area
Natural Surroundings
Off street car parking.

Adjoining the exercise area there are further areas of reserve which are also dog-off leash areas for those who want longer walks in bush settings. Download the rules of use here

DOGS ON LEADS

There are several changes to the laws and the most advertised has been that dogs will be required to be on a leash no longer than 2 metres in length whilst on public roads, footpaths and in all public places (except parks unless otherwise specified by Council By-laws).

Rules for usage of Council owned parks and open spaces will remain the same until the Council decides to change the public use of the area. Pursuant to the requirements of the Local Government Act 1999 in relation to the creation of By-laws, Council will conduct public consultation on any proposed changes to the uses of parks or open spaces within the Council area.

Animal Management Plans will also have an impact on future park usage in relation to dog activities and these are discussed later in this information sheet.

DOGS IN UTILITIES

Dogs travelling in the back of utilities, trucks or similar vehicles will be required to be harnessed so as not to allow any part of the dog to extend itself beyond the tray. Working dogs will be exempt from this law if they are specifically being used for the purpose of droving stock and are going to or from a property where they are droving stock.

PRESCRIBED BREEDS

Another dog breed has been added to the list of prescribed breeds outlined under section 4 of the Act. The breed is the Presa Canario and whilst it is not banned from ownership, as with the other breeds already listed under this section, special conditions apply to being allowed to keep this breed. The conditions are that the dog must be desexed, muzzled and on a lead of no longer than 2 metres in length when in a public place, and all offences accredited to this breed attract higher penalties than normal dogs throughout the Act.

PENALTIES

For easy reference, all expiations and maximum penalties throughout the Act have been converted to dollar amounts instead of divisional penalties. Also several expiation and maximum penalties have been increased throughout the Act. Maximum penalties are only applied by a Magistrate in a court action.

Due to the potential for serious consequences (i.e. dog attacks), the offence structure for dogs wandering at large has been changed. First offencesmay attract a maximum penalty of $250 for an ordinary dog and can be as high as $2,500 for a prescribed breed (that is, a dog breed listed under section 4 "Prescribed Breeds" of the Act) or for a dog subject to a Council or court imposed dangerous dog order. For second offences of dog wandering at large, an ordinary dog may attract a maximum penalty of $750 and a prescribed breed, or a dog subject to a dangerous dog order, increases to $5,000.

If offences continue and are considered by a Magistrate to be of a serious enough nature, the court has been given further powers to make orders for the removal and disposal of the dog in a manner specified by the court and the recovery of costs and/or compensation.

ANIMAL MANAGEMENT PLAN

Adelaide Hills Council has developed an Animal Management Plan as an approach towards animal management across our communities, and is designed for everyone in the Adelaide Hills Council, including both animal and non-animal owners. The plan, developed in 2006, has been adopted by Council and endorsed by the Dog & Cat Management Board and provides a clear direction for the present and future delivery of animal management services to the Adelaide Hills communities. It also ensures that the Council's animal management services are, and continue to be, appropriately placed within the context of priorities of the Dog & Cat Management Board. Click on the following link to view Council's Animal Management Plan Endorsed Animal Management Plan Endorsed%20Animal%20Management%20Plan (531 kb)

LATE REGISTRATION FEESDog owners are advised that currently registered dogs will remain registered for the year ending 30th June. Any dogs requiring annual re-registration are to be must be registered by 31st August. Any dogs unregistered from the 1st September could be charged a late payment fee in addition to the new registration fee applicable, and a fine for having an unregistered dog.

To view all changes to the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995, the new legislation will be available on the web at http://www.legislation.sa.gov.au/ or alternatively at http://www.dogsncats.asn.au/. You can view a copy of the Act at the Council offices, or purchase a copy of the Act for a minimal fee from Service SA on the ground floor at 101 Grenfell Street, Adelaide or by telephoning 132 324.

The Dog and Cat Management Board produced this information in conjunction with your local Council.