Greyhound Welfare / Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1979)

Government rule changes when selling or giving away dogs in NSW

From 1 July 2019, people advertising puppies or dogs (including greyhounds) for sale or to give away in NSW will need to include an identification number, such as the animal’s microchip number, in advertisements.

The rules will apply to all advertisements, including those in newspapers, local posters, community notice boards and all forms of online advertising, including public advertisements on websites such as the Trading Post, Gumtree and social media sites.

These rules also apply to participants of the greyhound racing industry. When advertising greyhounds for sale or to give-away, participants will need to use the greyhound’s microchip number or, if the greyhound is yet to be micro chipped, provide your participant registration number.

If you don’t use an identification number, or you falsify a number, you could be issued with an on-the-spot fine or face court, where a maximum penalty of $5,500 applies.

For more information on why this legislation has changed visit the NSW Department of Primary Industries website.

Questions and answers

How does the advertising requirement apply to racing greyhounds?

If a registered greyhound racing industry participant wishes to sell or give away a greyhound they own, the advertisements will need to display either the greyhound's microchip number or your participant registration number.

Microchip numbers for racing greyhounds will be used by animal welfare enforcement agencies to help identify and trace racing greyhounds throughout their lifecycle.

I am a racing greyhound participant and I want to sell a greyhound to someone else, either to continue racing or as a pet. What number do I need to use in the advertisement?

You can use either the dog’s microchip number in all cases or, in the case of dogs that are not yet micro chipped, use your participant registration number.

You are reminded that you must also comply with the GWIC Greyhound Re-homing Policy and any other requirements in relation to the transfer of ownership.

I want to buy a greyhound I have seen advertised online, but I can’t find the identification number on the NSW Pet Registry. What do I do?

The greyhound may be owned by a registered greyhound racing industry participants and therefore will not show up on the NSW pet registry. As greyhounds owned by greyhound racing industry participants are not recorded on the NSW Pet Registry, the buyer search function will not operate on the NSW Pet Registry. In such cases potential buyer can contact GWIC to confirm the identity and details associated with the greyhound.

If a greyhound has been retired and is sold as a pet to a person that is not a registered greyhound participant, it must then be registered on the NSW Pet Registry like other dogs. Subsequent buyers will then be able to use the buyer search function for the identification number of this animal.

View the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act (1979) in full here.