July 9th, 2026Keeping Puppy Protection Laws Up To Date

The state government is reviewing Victoria’s dog breeding laws to ensure sure they continue to protect animal welfare.

Victorians love their pets and expect them to come from responsible breeders.

That’s why the government is reviewing the Domestic Animals Act 1994 to make sure our laws continue to reflect public expectations and uphold high standards of animal care.

The review will focus on commercial dog breeders.

It will consider whether the current limit of 50 fertile female dogs per breeder continues to meet modern animal welfare standards.

It will also consider whether the laws reflect community expectations about how dogs are bred and cared for.

Currently, breeders with 11 to 50 fertile female dogs must first register with their local council as a breeding business and then receive approval from the Minister for Agriculture to operate as a commercial dog breeder.

Victoria was the first state to introduce stronger laws to stop puppy farming and improve animal welfare – leading the way for other jurisdictions to do the same.

Those reforms introduced limits on breeder numbers and strengthened regulation of dog breeding and pet sales.