Dogs

Dog registrations are due every year between 1 July and 31 August. Registrations are due within this time regardless of when you initially registered your pet. Late fees will apply after 31 August if dog or cat registrations are not renewed.

You will receive your registration renewal in July each year via email, post or SMS. The contact you receive depends on your preferred contact method you noted in your initial registration with DACO.

All dogs must be registered once they reach three months of age. It is the responsibility of the owner to ensure that their dog(s) are registered each year.

Before you start your registration, make sure you have your dog's desexing certificate and microchip details on hand as substantial registration rebates apply for dogs and cats that are microchipped AND desexed.

If you would like further information on the process of registering your pet online, please call Customer Service on 8408 0400 or email mail@ahc.sa.gov.au

Should your dog pass away, please contact council and inform us or log into your DACO account where you will be able to update the status of your animal.

Council often receives notice of lost or found dogs, and we delight in reuniting lost dogs with their owners. See the below link for information about how we manage lost dogs and the process to be reunited.

Some people think it is normal for dogs to bark constantly. It isn't. Barking dogs are a nuisance and not conducive to good neighbourly relations. Further, excessive barking usually means your dog is bored, lonely or frustrated.

• Ensure your dog gets plenty of exercise, companionship and has a comfortable, safe, enclosed place to sleep.
• Obedience training may help stop dogs barking. If this is unsuccessful, there are established services providing professional advice on overcoming behavioural problems.
  
• Download an information kit for dog owners below.

Complaints due to excessive barking are amongst the most frequent received by Council. If a dog is barking persistently and interfering with the peace and comfort of the neighbourhood, Council's experienced Community Safety Officers can provide assistance to resolve the problem.

Download a barking dog information kit below. This will help establish the problem and Council's experienced Rangers can provide assistance to resolve it.

If the dog continues to create a noise which persistently occurs or unreasonably interferes with the peace, comfort or convenience of a person, the owner may be fined or have a Control (Barking Dog) Order placed on the dog.

The Dog and Cat Board website is an excellent source of information for all dog owners. It includes information on what dog breeds might suit you and your family, how to manage dogs around children, laws for dog ownership and much more.

It is also a great resource for fact sheets on topics such as dog training, microchips, desexing, aggression and more.

Providing suitable on- and off-leash activity areas is vital to the success of animal management in our Council area.

Dog owners require suitable areas to exercise their dogs safely. Equally, other members of the community must have the ability to use open space and recreation amenities without the fear of uncontrolled dogs, uncollected dog faeces and other nuisances.

Dogs must be on leash on all roads, streets and footways. There are a number of dog friendly parks in our district where owners can exercise their dogs off leash. Some reserves may have restricted off leash times to meet the needs of other users; please check for signs at each park or reserve to view restrictions, hours of operation, and your responsibilities as a dog owner.

Download a map of dog friendly areas in the district below (please note that the map is not comprehensive; please check signs at your favourite walking location).

​Wright Road Dog Park (Evelyn Halliday Reserve) is an especially popular fenced park in Stirling dedicated to off-leash dog exercise.

Open from 7:00am Monday to Friday, and from 9:00am on weekends and public holidays, and closes at sunset.

It provides many features including:

• over two acres of fenced, off-leash space
• a separate puppy/small dog area
• dog agility equipment
• a water play area
• natural surroundings
• off-street car parking.

Please consider other users at this facility and ensure dogs remain under effective control at all times.

If you have an encounter with a dog that is aggressive, or it attacks or harasses you, it’s important to report the incident so we can help manage any dogs that may be a risk to the community. Please report all incidents to Council immediately.

In the case of an incident occurring, first consider the safety of yourself, your animal, or anyone else involved. If needed, please seek medical or veterinary attention immediately after a dog attack.

Adelaide Hills Council offers assistance to dog attacks/harassments 7 days a week, 24 hours a day if it is immediate (occurring now).

To assist the investigating Ranger, please keep your own notes detailing:

• Date, time and location of the attack
• A description of the offending dog(s):
  • Identification or registration disc number (if possible)
  • Name (if possible)
  • Breed, colour, sex, estimated age, and
  • Any other distinguishing markings
• A description of the owner:
  • Gender
  • Estimated age, weight, height, hair colour, or
  • Identification, name/address/phone number if they are willing to provide this
• The address from which the offending dog may have come from, if known
• Car registration number, make/model and colour of vehicle if the offending owner drove away with the dog
• A description and photographs of any injuries to a person or animal

You should also keep copies of any medical documents, vet reports or doctor's bills as evidence.

Rangers will attend as soon as possible when contacted at the time of the attack or harassment. If the offending dog is still 'at large' (i.e. not with an owner) a Ranger will attend immediately to restrain the dog and that dog may be impounded.

A statement will be taken from all persons involved, including any witnesses, and photographs may be taken by Rangers of any injuries to yourself or your animals. After gathering supporting evidence and assessing the circumstances, the Rangers will decide whether any action is required to prevent further attacks or harassments, take appropriate action, and inform all parties of the outcome.

If there is insufficient evidence, or depending on the circumstances of the incident, Council may take no action. Otherwise they may:

• Issue a warning
• Expiate for offences of the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995
• Impose a Control Order such as: Nuisance, Menacing, Dangerous or Destruction Dog Order. Each order will have conditions to control the dog such as leashing or muzzling requirements
• Take direct court action.

Section 44(2) of the Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 makes it an offence for a dog to attack, harass, or chase a person, animal or bird owned by a person, whether or not actual injury is caused.

Subject to By-law 5 (Part 2) a person must not, without Council permission, keep more than one dog in a small unit/dwelling, two dogs in a township dwelling or more than three dogs (other than working dogs) if residing outside of a township.

To apply to have an additional dog please complete the below application form and submit to Council.