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Assistance dogs

A person who is wholly or partially blind or deaf, or otherwise disabled, is entitled to take an accredited assistance dog onto any public place or public passenger vehicle [Dog and Cat Management Act 1995 (SA) s 81(1)(a)]. It is a criminal offence for an occupier or person in charge of a public place or public passenger vehicle to refuse access to a person because they have an assistance dog with them [s 81(1)(b)].

It is an offence to claim that a dog is an assistance dog unless it is accredited under the Act or covered by the Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (Cth) [s 81(2)]. The following are prescribed accreditation bodies [s 21A(7); Dog and Cat Management Regulations 2017 (SA) reg 5]:

  • The Dog and Cat Management Board
  • The Royal Society for the Blind of SA Inc
  • The Guide Dogs Association of SA and NT Inc
  • Lions Hearing Dogs Inc
  • Assistance Dogs Australia
  • Righteous Pups Australia Inc
  • Vision Australia
  • Guide Dogs WA
  • Guide Dogs Queensland
  • Guide Dogs NSW/ACT
  • Guide Dogs Victoria
  • Guide Dogs Tasmania
Assistance dogs  :  Last Revised: Wed May 29th 2024
The content of the Law Handbook is made available as a public service for information purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. See Disclaimer for details. For free and confidential legal advice in South Australia call 1300 366 424.