Animal Welfare
companion animals
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Home : Companion Animals

Companion Animals

People have always enjoyed a close and rewarding relationship with animals. Pet ownership is a fact of Australian life, with over 66% of households having a pet. Pets are good for our health. People who own pets typically visit the doctor less often and use less medication. Pet owners on average have lower cholesterol and lower blood pressure. They recover more quickly from illness and surgery and owners deal better with stressful situations and are less likely to feel lonely.  Typically the major carer of the pet is female, married with children, living in the suburbs and most likely employed. The most popular species of pets include dogs, cats, reptiles, rabbits, guinea pigs, mice and rats, horses, birds and fish.

However there is a down side; insufficient socialisation and/or a lack of obedience training of pets can lead to dog attacks, a lack of responsibility taken by some owners can lead to nuisance cats and the RSPCA and Animal Welfare League shelters receive many unwanted pets from their owners and stray animals from local councils. They care for them until they are either returned to their owner, a new home is found, or in cases where there is no other option, they are humanely destroyed.   

Choosing a Pet

Selecting the right pet for you is fun, but takes time, planning and lots of research. You need to consider very carefully both your needs and the needs of any animal that comes into your life; for example, how much time you can spend for exercise, how much space you have and how much you can afford to pay for food, toys and possible vet bills.

Pet Shops

The South Australian Code of Practice for the Care and Management of Animals in the Pet Trade (350Kb PDF) sets standards for persons who operate or work in the companion animal industry. It describes the welfare requirements of those animals normally sold through wholesale or retail trade, and includes dogs, cats, goats, guinea pigs, rats, mice, birds and reptiles and general provisions relating to any other companion animal. This Code of Practice is regulated in South Australia.

Tail Docking of Dogs

Non-therapeutic dog tail docking became prohibited in South Australia on 1 February 2004 in concert with all Australian jurisdictions through the Primary Industries Ministerial Council (PIMC). In South Australia it is illegal for any person to dock the tail off a dog for non-therapeutic purposes.

If, in future, a breed club can produce evidence on a scientific basis that it is in their breed's welfare interest to be docked, they can contact the Animal Welfare Unit for the criteria which must be considered for an independent assessment of that claim.