AN online portal will streamline dog and cat management in SA, replacing individual council registers from July 1.
The online portal’s announcement follows the legislative changes last year to make desexing and microchipping mandatory for all dogs and cats – but exuding working dogs. The amendments are due this year.
Environment Minister Ian Hunter said Dogs and Cats Online would combine a number of existing registers, acting as a one-stop shop for registration details, microchip and breeder information for each pet.
Currently, each of the state’s 68 councils maintains its own unique dog or cat registration system, with microchip, breeder and vet information held by private companies.
The system will allow South Australians to register their pets, update their details, and have the option to pay online and receive renewal and reminder notices via email or SMS. It is expected to provide significant savings for councils by eliminating duplication and postage costs.
Specifications for the system are being developed in consultation with councils, vets and breeders, with tenders expected to be called early in 2017.
The online portal’s announcement comes after the legislative changes to make desexing and microchipping mandatory for dogs and cats – excluding working dogs – last year.
A state-wide central pet information register is one of the features of the South Australian Government’s commitment to enhance and improve the State’s dog and cat management system.
This commitment also resulted in recent legislative changes to make desexing and microchipping mandatory for dogs and cats in an effort to reduce the number of dogs and cats being euthanised ever year.
The new requirements for desexing and microchipping take effect from 1 July 2018.
Environment Minister Ian Hunter said the portal would be an effective tool for animal welfare.
“The Dogs and Cats Online register isn’t just great for consumers, it will become an important tool for the RSPCA to investigate and prosecute animal cruelty cases,” he said.
“Registration of breeders through DACO will help weed out puppy farms and other cruel and unethical breeding businesses.”
Mr Hunter said the new system also gives councils, police and other service providers the power to access information from around the state instantaneously, which means better management and lost pets returned faster.
“Along with our other reforms, including mandatory microchipping and desexing, crackdowns on puppy farms and tighter control of breeding operations, DACO is a great leap forward for dog and cat management in our state,” he said.
Member for Port Adelaide Susan Close said the register, in combination with the new microchipping and desexing requirements would ensure lost pets found their way home.
“Losing a pet is a heartbreaking experience for the whole family, and I look forward to a state-wide register, in combination with the new requirement for microchipping, that will help reunite more pets with their humans,” he said.
Dog and Cat Management Board Chairperson Dr Felicity-ann Lewis said the system was an “excellent approach” to dog and cat management.
“Councils will save money, freeing up valuable resources at the coalface of dog and cat management, and dog and cat owners will love the system’s autonomy and convenience,” she said.
Local Government Association president Dave Burgess said the changes would allow councils to do their job more efficiently.
“Workers in the field will now be able to access the database from their smartphones, easily checking a dog’s status, and notifying the owner that their dog has been found,” he said.
“DACO is another good example of what can be achieved when state and local governments work together for the benefit of communities.”