To receive free registration for an assistance dog, the owner of the dog (or their carer/guardian) must demonstrate that they have a disability as defined under the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 and that the dog is trained to assist them in alleviating the effect(s) of that disability.
In addition to demonstrating the dog's function in alleviating the effects of a disability, an assistance dog must also:
- be desexed
- be microchipped
- be at least 12 months of age
- have completed obedience training provided by a dog trainer
Note: the obedience training can either be completed separately, or as part of the training undertaken to perform tasks or functions that assist the person with a disability to alleviate the effects of their disability. - not be a dangerous, menacing, or restricted breed dog
For the purposes of the above requirements:
Dog trainer means a person who:
- provides training at a dog obedience training organisation approved under section 5B of the Act; or
- has a certificate III in Dog Behaviour and Training or Certificate IV in Companion Animal Services.
Obedience training means a training program that assesses an assistance dog in the following:
- heeling or walking with a handler, without sniffing marking or wandering;
- sociability with other dogs;
- responsiveness to a handler's commands, including staying on command (known as a stay test) and coming to a handler on command (known as a recall test);
- absence of aggression towards humans or other animals;
- absence of anxiety, stress, fear, or undue excitement when in public places; and
- standard of hygiene appropriate for a public place.
Note: guide dogs are currently recognised under the Domestic Animal Act. The recognition provides guide dogs and their handlers with certain public access rights, as well as an automatic exemption from paying council animal registration fees and from certain offences under the Domestic Animals Act. As such, this assistance dog application is not required for guide dogs.