DOG AND CAT MANAGEMENT ACT 1995 - SECT 21A

DOG AND CAT MANAGEMENT ACT 1995 - SECT 21A

21A—Accreditation of assistance dogs

        (1)         Subject to this section, a prescribed accreditation body may, on application, accredit a dog, or renew the accreditation of a dog, as an assistance dog.

        (1a)         A prescribed accreditation body (other than the Board) may only accredit a dog, or renew the accreditation of a dog, of a kind approved by the Board in respect of the prescribed accreditation body.

        (2)         An application for accreditation must—

            (a)         be made to a prescribed accreditation body in the manner and form determined by the prescribed accreditation body; and

            (b)         be accompanied by the fee fixed by the Board.

        (3)         An applicant must provide a prescribed accreditation body with any information required by the prescribed accreditation body for the purpose of determining the application.

        (4)         Accreditation of a dog remains in force for the life of the dog unless—

            (a)         it is revoked by the Board or the prescribed accreditation body that accredited the dog; or

            (b)         it is surrendered by the owner of the dog.

        (5)         The Board must maintain a register of dogs accredited under this section (which may be kept in the form of a computer record) that is to be readily available for public inspection without fee.

        (6)         The accreditation of a dog may only be revoked if the Board or the prescribed accreditation body that accredited the dog is satisfied that—

            (a)         the dog's ill-health, injury or advanced age prevents the dog from carrying out its functions as an assistance dog; or

            (b)         the dog is temperamentally unsuitable to continue to be accredited as an assistance dog; or

            (c)         the owner of the dog is unable to maintain effective control of the dog (whether by command or by means of physical restraint).

        (7)         In this section—

"prescribed accreditation body"—the following are prescribed accreditation bodies:

            (a)         the Board;

            (b)         The Royal Society for the Blind of SA Inc;

            (c)         the Guide Dogs Association of South Australia and Northern Territory Inc;

            (d)         Lions Hearing Dogs Inc;

            (e)         any other person or body declared by the regulations to be a prescribed accreditation body.