Dog FAQ
In the unfortunate event that your beloved pet should go missing log in to www.dogsandcatsonline.com.au to report it as lost. Should a member of the public then find your pet they can visit the site, see that it is reported as missing and easily obtain your contact details.
If you are not able to access DACO when your dog goes missing you should contact Council as soon as possible to advise that your dog is missing.
If your dog is registered, the Council will be able to call you and let you know they have found your dog. For this reason it is very important to keep your dog registered and your contact details up to date. Also remember to keep your microchip contact details up-to-date.
If Council has found your dog and it is not microchipped or have a registration tag it will be held (impounded) for 72 hours to allow you to claim it. If you have not claimed your dog after 72 hours under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 the dog may be transferred to animal welfare groups/organisations or be offered for adoption by Council. Council is required to post a ‘Notification of Detention of Dog’ The Notification of Detention includes a description of the dog and details about where it was found. If the owner is unable to be contacted or is unreachable, a photo and description of the dog will be posted to the City of Mount Gambier Impounded Dogs Facebook page while every effort is made to return the animal to its owner.
Your pet should be wearing their registration tag, preferably with an identification tag. Many pet owners think that collar ID tags are unnecessary if their pets are microchipped. This is not true. If a lost dog is wearing collar identification and is found by a member of the public, it can be reunited with its owner without going to a pound or vet clinic to be scanned for a microchip. To release your dog from a pound, you must pay pound release fees. Expiations may be also issued.
If you happen to find a dog or cat and it is wearing a registration tag you should visit www.dogsandcatsonline.com.au to see if the owner has reported it missing and attempt to get in contact with them. This will help to ensure that pets are returned to their rightful owners as quickly as possible.
Council officers are available 24 hours to collect wandering/lost dogs that have been restrained. Please call Council/After Hours Call Centre on 08 8721 2555 for assistance.
Please ensure that your animal is wearing a registration tag at all times to assist in immediate identification and return.
The dog registration disc that you receive when you first registered your dog is now valid for the life of your dog. You can pay to have a new disc sent to you if you misplace your original discs ($10.00) or alternatively you can have the dogs DACO number etched onto any tag of your choosing.
A person must be aged 16 years or over to register a dog.
If you are moving within South Australia you can login to DACO and update your residential address, your current registration is valid until the 31 August, your renewal will then be sent to your updated address or email if preferred.
If you are moving to South Australia from interstate you must register your dog on DACO or visit your local council even if previously you had lifetime registration.
Yes, you must have your dog on a leash (of no more than two metres in length) in all public places and in private places where you do not have the consent of the occupier to have your dog off-leash. Dogs must be on leash when walking along all public roads and footpaths unless otherwise signposted.
You can have your dog off-leash in ‘off-leash’ areas that are designated by Council. Even when off-leash, your dog must be under ‘effective control’ which means it returns when called and obeys commands. If your dog is not under effective control, you can be required to keep your dog on a leash in an off-leash area. Dogs that are not on a leash in a on-leash area or are not under effective control are considered to be wandering at large and may incur a $210 expiation fee.
Your dog does not have to be on a leash if it is inside a vehicle, tending stock and is a registered working dog, or if it is participating in a trial, show or class.
You can walk your dog off the leash in designated ‘off leash’ areas – Blue Lake Sports Park (excluding sporting grounds/ovals), Hastings Cunningham Reserve (including dog parks), Frew Park, Don McDonnell Reserve, Corriedale Park and Northumberland Avenue. Outside of these areas, all dogs must be on a leash.
A maximum of three dogs can be kept at a property.
If you wish to keep more than the prescribed number of dogs, you must apply for a permit (download form below).
Council may also make contact with adjoining neighbours to ascertain their position on the matter.
All approvals are subject to conditions including:
- Housing and exercise areas must be provided appropriate to the size and breed of the dogs.
- The dogs are kept for family enjoyment as part of the domestic activity (dogs kept as a business are to apply for Registration of Business involving Dogs).
- Owners undertake to reduce the number of dogs over time to the prescribed limit.
- The property at which the dogs are kept is to be maintained in a sanitary condition at all times.
- The dogs must not become a nuisance to other residents or the general public.
- Registration of the dogs must be maintained at all times.
Where a permit holder or dog(s) move premises an application to vary the permit is required.
There are five prescribed breeds of dog, these are:
- American Pit Bull Terrier
- Fila Braziliero
- Japanese Tosa
- Dog Argentinia
- Presa Canario
The Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 requires that if you own a dog that is one of these breeds, it must be desexed and whilst not confined to your premises have a muzzle securely fixed onto its mouth so that it cannot bite a person or animal. It must also be under effective control by physical restraint, which means the dog must be on a leash which is no more than two meters in length. Any person, who sells, gives away or advertises for sale or to give away a dog of a prescribed breed is guilty of an offence.
The maximum penalty for a breach of Section 45B (prescribed breeds) of the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 is $2500 per offence.
Yes, you must notify your new council within 72 hours that the dog has moved to different premises. Failure to notify the council of these changes may incur an expiation fee of $210. For an unregistered dog, an expiation fee of $170 may be charged. An additional expiation fee of $170 may be issued every 14 days the registration fee remains unpaid. You must also notify your previous council that the dog is no longer in the previous premises. If you are moving to South Australia from interstate you must register your dog with your local council even if previously you had lifetime registration. Lifetime registration is non-transferrable.
Under the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995, dogs do need to be restrained if travelling in the open tray of a utility truck (ute) or similar vehicle. This means being transported in a cage or similar enclosure or tethered to the vehicle so that the dog cannot fall or escape from the vehicle. This does not apply to an accredited guide dog or a dog that is being used in the droving or tending of stock or is going to or returning from a place where it will be or has been so used.
There is no requirement for a dog to be restrained when travelling in other vehicle types. However, it is important to note that under the Animal Welfare Act 1985 it is an offence to commit an act which "intentionally, unreasonably or recklessly causes the animal unnecessary harm". Owners should therefore consider restraining dogs travelling in motor vehicles so that they are not unnecessarily harmed in the case of an accident.