Dogs
Dogs are wonderful companions, offering loyalty, affection, and joy to their owners.
Dog ownership also comes with responsibility, including appropriate care and control, training, exercise, registration, microchipping and desexing.
Register your pet
Dogs and Cats Online (DACO) is a Statewide database for all dogs, cats and breeders. It is compulsory for all dogs and cats to be registered within 3 months of birth or within two weeks of ownership.
Registration fees and renewals
Dog registration fees are used to fund a range of dog management services.
For current registration fees, please refer to our Fees and Charges Schedule.
Registration renewals are due by 31 August each year. In July, you will receive a renewal notice via post, email or SMS from DACO advising your pets registration is due.
Renew and pay your pet's registration
Update your pet's registration
You must update your pet's records on DACO if your pet:
- passes away
- is lost for more than 3 days
- is given away to a new owner
- is surrendered to the RSPCA, Animal Welfare League or another animal shelter.
Update your pet's registration
Registration tag
Dogs are issued with a lifetime registration number and a registration tag. If you give your dog to a new owner, the number and tag stays with your dog.
If the registration tag has been damaged or lost you can replace it with a metal disc or tag and have the lifetime number engraved with your contact details.
If you would like to replace a broken or damaged tag and prefer the plastic style you can order a new one on DACO for a fee.
In South Australia it is compulsory for all dogs and cats to be microchipped by 12 weeks of age or within 28 days of ownership. If your dog or cat was born before 1 July 2018 this does not apply.
In South Australia it is compulsory for all dogs and cats to be desexed by 6 months of age or within 28 days of ownership. If your dog or cat was born before 1 July 2018 this does not apply. Vet’s may issue an exemption for desexing and upload this to your pet's profile.
On leash areas
Dogs must be restrained with a lead, chain or cord not exceeding 2 meters in length on all streets and footpaths.
Dogs must also be on lead at all times at the following locations:
- Wadmore Park/Pulyonna Wirra in Athelstone
- The Gums Reserve (southern side) in Tranmere
- Unity Park in Campbelltown
- The River Torrens Linear Park
- Third, Fourth and Fifth Creek walking Trails
Off leash areas
A dog park and designated off lead areas are available for you and your furry companions to enjoy.
When off leash, dogs must be under effective control by voice command and be close enough to the person responsible for the dog to hear the commands.
Remember to respect other users of the park or reserve when exercising your dog off lead, our shared spaces are for all to enjoy.
No dogs permitted
There are a limited number of locations within the city where dogs are not allowed at any time. These includes:
- Thorndon Park
- Geoff Health Par 3 Golf Course (except in the immediate vicinity of the clubrooms)
- Soft fall areas of all playgrounds, including fenced playgrounds.
If you would like to have more then 2 dogs at your property, you will require a permit.
Our General Inspectors will perform a property inspection to check fences and that the area is secure for the number of dogs requested.
For further information, please read Council's By-Law 5: Dogs.
People who breed dogs and cats for sale must register on DACO. Once registered you will receive a breeder number and this must be included in all advertisements.
There are 6 basic rules to follow when breeding and selling, for more information visit the Dog and Cat Board website.
Owners have the best chance of being reunited with a lost pet if their dog is registered and microchipped. A registration disc with a current telephone number and/or address is recommended.
Lost dogs
If your dog is lost, you should:
- Phone us on 08 8366 9222 (business hours) or 08 7071 3701 (after hours emergency) to notify us that your dog is lost. We can check our system to see if we have already collected your dog.
- Contact local vets in the area to see if someone has taken your dog there.
- Contact the Animal Welfare League on 08 8348 1300 and see if they are holding your dog.
- Our community is great at helping reunite lost pets. Reach out to local community groups on social media:
Found dogs
If you find a lost dog, phone us on 08 8366 9222 (business hours) or 08 7071 3701 (after hours emergency) and one of our General Inspectors will come and collect the dog.
Most of the time the we can quickly reunite lost dogs with their owners. Once we pick up a lost dog, we scan for a microchip and look for any identification (tags etc). If the dog has a tag or microchip, we can check our system and locate the owner.
We will release lost dogs to their owners once all relevant fees have been paid. This includes an impound fee and registration if your dog isn’t currently registered.
If we can’t find the owner straight away, dogs are taken to our air-conditioned facility where they are safe. We will hold an animal at our kennel facility for a period of up to three days whilst we attempt to find the animal's owner. After this time, if we are unable to establish the identity of a dog owner, or are unable to make contact with the owner, we will take the dog to the Animal Welfare League for further care or rehoming if the owners are not found.
Approaching a dog’s owner to politely raise your concerns should be the first step when a barking dog issue arises.
Your neighbour may not know that their dog is causing a nuisance by barking. This may be because they are not at home at the time their dog is barking or if the dog is outside, they may not hear the barking. You can approach your neighbour and have a conversation about the problem. If you are uncomfortable doing this, a note in their letterbox explaining the issue could also solve the problem.
If this approach doesn’t work, you can make a report to us on 08 8366 9222 or mail@campbelltown.sa.gov.au. We will send you a barking dog diary to fill out for two weeks and we will then approach the dog owner advising there is an issue. We will work with the owner of the barking dog to share ideas for a solution.
Reporting a dog attack or harassment
If you or your dog have been attacked and have sustained injuries, seek medical and or veterinary attention as a priority.
When both you and your dog are safe, make a report to advise us of the incident. Reports can be made via phone or email to:
- 08 8366 9222 (business hours)
- 08 7071 3701 (after hours emergency)
- mail@campbelltown.sa.gov.au
If you are unable to make a report straight away, make as many notes as possible as you will need to complete a statement explaining what happened.
To help us investigate the matter, the following information would assist our General Inspectors:
- Exactly when and where the attack or harassment took place.
- A description of the dog including sex, colour, breed, size and any distinguishing markings.
- Details of the person responsible for the dog at the time of the attack or harassment, including:
- their name, address and contact number (if possible).
- a description of their appearance including gender, approximate age, height, hair colour and clothing.
- if the person responsible for the dog left in a car without giving any contact details, the make, model, colour and registration number of the vehicle.
- If the dog was not with a person, any details you may have about where the dog came from.
- Photos and/or a description of any injuries to either yourself and/or your dog.
- Medical reports, veterinary reports and any doctor or vet bills.
What happens next?
Our General Inspectors will issue attack victims with a victim or witness statement to complete and return to us.
If we can identify the owner or responsible person of the dog, the General Inspectors will write a letter of allegation. The owner or responsible person will then have the opportunity to provide their side of the incident.
The General Inspectors will then assess all the information gathered and determine whether any action is needed to prevent further attacks or harassments. We will then inform each party of the outcome.
Unfortunately, if we do not have any details or any leads on who was responsible for the dog at the time of the incident, we will be unable to investigate the matter. We will however keep the information on record in case any further incidents occur.
What action will be taken?
Depending on the severity of the attack, Council can:
- Issue a warning
- Issue a fine for an attack or harassment of $315
- Take direct court action (in more serious cases)
- Impose a control order (nuisance, dangerous dog, menacing dog or destruction order).
The maximum penalty for a dog attack is $2,500.
Civil liability
The law allows any person to sue a dog owner, or the person liable for the control of any dog, if the dog:
- causes any injury to any animal, bird or human
- causes any damage to property
- creates a nuisance to a person.
A successful court action could result in the owner or the person responsible for the control of the dog being liable to pay a considerable sum of money. It is essential that every dog owner ensures they have some kind of public liability insurance policy to cover any claims which may be made against them arising from their dog's actions.
Preventing dog bites
Dogs may bite for many reasons. The most common reason is fear, pain or confusion when mixing with people and other dogs. Ignoring signs of aggression can result in serious injury to you or others.
You can discourage biting by:
- Socialising your dog from an early age so that it learns how to mix with other dogs and other people in public.
- Avoiding situations that may cause your dog to become nervous or anxious.
- Training your dog. Obedience classes help you learn about your dog, its body language and how you can communicate with it.
- Desexing your dog. Research shows that non-desexed dogs are more aggressive.
- Asking your vet for advice if your dog shows any signs of aggression towards people.