Puppy farms have been banned and irresponsible dog owners can be fined $25,000 if their pet attacks a person or animal under changes to the Dog and Cat Management Act which have passed Parliament.
This fine will be up to $50,000 if the attacking dog was already the subject of a dangerous dog order and in extreme cases, where the owner deliberately encourages their pet to attack, the penalty could be as high as $100,000 or four years jail.
In South Australia last year, 503 people presented at a public hospital after being attacked by a dog, while another 1200 dog attacks were reported to SA councils.
Under the new laws large-scale puppy farms are now banned in South Australia, outlawing inhumane breeding pr
ograms that increase the risk of animal cruelty.
A new breeder licensing scheme has also been introduced under the reforms to act.
The scheme includes a rigorous assessment process for breeders, including criminal background checks on applicants, and the ability to suspend and cancel licences.
Fines of up to $10,000 can be issued 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.
Mandatory reporting of each litter has also been introduced.
Councils will also now 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.
In addition to the breeder reforms, all property owners more than 1km 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.
MORE STORIES LIKE THIS
