- Latest News
The City of Whyalla will be holding another pet information morning this month.
With the new laws regarding dogs and cats coming in next month, Council animal management officers will be at the Westland Shopping Centre on Wednesday June 20 from 9.30am to midday to answer all your questions.
Setting themselves up in a central position of the shopping centre, the officers will not only be there to answer questions, they will also have some packs and pamphlets to hand out.
“This is an ideal way to get mingle with the public and get the message out about the new animal laws,” Legislation Compliance - Animal Management officer Rod Masters said.
It is a timely subject considering the new dog and cat registration laws that will be introduced on July 1 this year.
The new animal laws will include compulsory desexing of all dogs and cats born from that day. Anyone wishing to breed dogs or cats must be a registered breeder. Heavy fines will apply for people keeping dogs and cats that are not desexed if they are not registered breeders.
All dogs and cats must be desexed by six months of age (exemptions can be granted by a registered veterinarian).
Also from July 1, all dogs and cats, regardless of age, must be microchipped. Having your dog or cat microchipped does not mean it is registered with council. All dog and cat owners must register their animals with council annually between July 1 and August 31.
If you own a dog or cat that is currently registered with council (yellow registration tag), it is important that you wait for your renewal notice to arrive in the mail before you go online to renew your registration. Renewal notices for Whyalla will be sent out towards the end of July.
From July 1 2018, dog and cat registration will be completed by the owner through a new statewide registration system called ‘DACO’ (Dogs And Cats Online). New owners can register their animal in DACO from July 1.
For all owners with existing registered animals, please wait for your renewal notice before jumping online to complete your registration (as mentioned above).
Expiation notices can be issued to owners found to be keeping an unregistered dog. The expiation fee is $170.
To further help with microchipping, Council will be running another $10 micochipping day on Saturday, June 30 from 10am to 2pm at the Whyalla Dog Park on Searle Street and McLennan Avenue.
Microchipping is a quick, safe and painless way for animals to be permanently identified and recorded under their owner’s name and contact details. It is a rice-grain sized chip inserted in the back of the animal’s neck that can be scanned by a vet or council official to retrieve the owner’s information.
Microchipping can cost up to $55 with a vet or is normally $30 through the council, making the $10 June 30 microchipping day a “must” for every pet owner’s calendar if their pets aren’t already “chipped”.
For more information on the new laws go to http://gooddogsa.com/ or simply turn up to Civic Park on May 30 to have a chat with the animal management officers.