Laws banning puppy farms and increased penalties for dog attacks pass State Parliament

Significant reforms to dog and cat laws including banning puppy farms, expanding feral cat eradication and increasing penalties for dog owners that attack people and other animals have passed State Parliament.

Dog owners now face a maximum fine of $25,000 if their pet attacks a person or animal causing serious injury or death. This fine will be up to $50,000 if the attacking dog was already the subject of a dangerous dog order.

In extreme cases, when a dog owner deliberately encourages their pet to attack or harass a person or animal, the owner could be fined up to $100,000 or be jailed for four years.

In South Australia 503 people presented at a public hospital in 2024 after being attacked by a dog, while another 1200 dog attacks were reported to SA councils.

Dog control orders placed on pet owners who move to South Australia from interstate - such as a dangerous dog order or a prohibition order - will also be better recognised and enforced under South Australian law.

Councils will also have increased powers to manage nuisance barking and dogs that persistently wander in their districts. This includes the ability to issue control orders on dogs that continually wander at large, with penalties of up to $2500 each time a dog with a control order is caught wandering.

The updates will also allow councils to work more closely with dog owners to help prevent offences before they occur, such as implementing specific measures to stop dogs wandering at large.

Large-scale puppy farms are now banned in South Australia, outlawing inhumane breeding programs that increase the risk of animal cruelty.

A new breeder licensing scheme has also been introduced under the reforms to the state’s Dog and Cat Management Act which passed Parliament last night.

This scheme - which was a key state government election commitment - includes:

• A rigorous assessment process for breeders, including criminal background checks on applicants, and
• The ability to suspend and cancel breeder licences and fines of up to $10,000 for breeding animals without a licence.

The reforms also include limits - to be determined via further public consultation - to both the number of female animals per breeding program and the number of litters they can have.

These limits will be able to be changed to set, or align with, national best practice. Mandatory reporting of each litter has also been introduced and the reforms also include increases to all penalties for dog owners whose pet attacks people, dogs and other animals.

In addition to the breeder reforms, all property owners more than 1 kilometre from another residence are now permitted to undertake humane lethal cat controls on their property.

This update is aimed at allowing landholders in regional areas to deal with feral cats on their properties in a similar way to controlling other pest animals, such as foxes. The legislation allows for this distance to be reduced if required.

Feral cats can already be managed using lethal methods by landholders and government agencies, such as councils or regional Landscape Boards.

Quotes

Attributable to Susan Close

These important updates to the Dog and Cat Management Act will prevent puppy factories from being set up in South Australia.

Everyone deserves to know that their new family puppy has come from a responsible breeder who cares for their animals and keeps them in good living conditions.

We have also introduced heavier penalties to help prevent violent dog attacks and increase the safety of all South Australians and their pets.

The increased punishments for dog attacks will act as a strong deterrent and ensure that owners do all they can to control their dogs.

Feral cats are one of the biggest threats to native animals, killing more than 1.5 billion mammals, birds, reptiles and frogs and 1.1 billion invertebrates each year.

The new abilities for property owners to undertake feral cat controls will help to protect our vital native wildlife.