The interview, the application and the reference checks work much the same wherever you adopt, and we cover those in The Pet Adoption Interview: What Shelters Ask and Why.
This guide covers what is specific to Australia. Two things make adopting here different from most countries: renters have unusually strong pet rights, and there is a legal rule that makes it far easier than elsewhere to tell a genuine rescue from a seller pretending to be one.
1. If you rent, you are in a much better position than you think
Australia has quietly become one of the best places in the world to rent with a pet. A blanket "no pets" clause is not enforceable anywhere in the country. Across the states and territories that have reformed their tenancy laws — including NSW, Victoria, Queensland, the ACT, South Australia and Western Australia — a landlord must have a specific, valid reason to refuse. "I would rather not have pets" is not one of them.
There is also a clock, and it works in your favour.
| Where | Landlord's response window | If they miss it |
|---|---|---|
| NSW (since May 2025) | 21 days | Treated as approved |
| Victoria | 14 days | Treated as approved |
| Queensland | 14 days | Treated as approved |
| ACT | 14 days | Treated as approved |
| NT | Set by the Act | Treated as approved |
Silence is consent in those jurisdictions. If you make the request properly and hear nothing back before the deadline, permission is taken as granted — which is exactly why you should make the request in writing, keep a copy, and note the date you sent it.
Reasonable grounds for refusal do exist. In Queensland, for example, they include the property genuinely being unsuitable for that animal, or body corporate rules capping the number of animals. Where a refusal looks unreasonable, it can be challenged at the relevant tribunal — VCAT in Victoria, NCAT in NSW, QCAT in Queensland.
One thing that is not a pet question at all: assistance animals are not pets under tenancy law. Refusing one is disability discrimination, not a pet refusal, and the pet-request process does not apply.
What this means for your adoption application: you are in a stronger position than applicants in most other countries, so say so. Attach your written request and the landlord's reply, or the date the deadline passed. A rescue that sees a documented, resolved housing situation stops worrying about the most common reason animals come back.
2. Microchipping and registration are legal obligations — and the deadlines differ
Every Australian state and territory requires cats and dogs to be microchipped. There is no single national law, so the age and the deadline change depending on where you live.
| State | Microchip deadline |
|---|---|
| NSW | By 12 weeks, or before any transfer of ownership — fines up to $880 |
| Victoria | Before registration, compulsory once the animal is 3 months old (Domestic Animals Act 1994, s. 10C) |
| Queensland | By 12 weeks — penalties up to $2,000 |
| WA | Dogs 3 months, cats 6 months |
| SA | Within 28 days of taking ownership |
Council registration is separate from microchipping and also compulsory. In Victoria, registration becomes compulsory at three months and the animal must be microchipped as a condition of it.
For an adopter, the practical point is this: your pet will almost certainly arrive already microchipped, because the rescue is legally required to do it before transferring the animal. What does not happen automatically is the chip being transferred into your name. That is your job, with the registry, and it is the single most-missed step of the whole process. A chip still registered to the rescue is close to useless in the first few weeks — the exact period when a newly adopted animal is most likely to bolt.
3. The source number — Australia's best scam filter
This is the rule that has no equivalent in Canada, the UK or the US, and it is worth knowing before you browse a single listing.
Since 1 July 2019 in Victoria, anyone selling or giving away a dog or cat must include an identification number in the advertisement. That number is one of three things: the animal's microchip number, a breeder identification number, or a rehoming organisation number.
The consequence for you is direct. A legitimate rehoming organisation has a number and puts it in the ad. A person quietly selling puppies while using the language of rescue usually does not — and cannot easily get one. If you are looking at a listing for a young purebred or designer-cross puppy with no identification number, an emotional story, and an invitation to "message me for details", that combination tells you what you are dealing with.
Ask for the number if it isn't shown. A real rescue will give it without hesitation.
4. Restricted breeds
Australia restricts certain breeds at two levels: a federal import ban on several breeds, and state and territory restricted-breed regimes on top of that. In NSW, for instance, a restricted breed requires an annual permit.
Before you apply for any dog whose breed is uncertain — and rescue dogs very often are — ask how the animal is described on its paperwork, and check your own state's restricted list. This matters more than people expect, because a dog can be assessed on appearance rather than pedigree.
5. Who you'll be applying to
Australian adoption runs mainly through RSPCA state societies, council pounds, the large independent shelters, and a long tail of volunteer foster-based rescues that list through the national rehoming platforms. The foster-based groups screen hardest, take longest, and are the most likely to want a phone conversation and a vet reference.
Applying to more than one at a time is normal. Criteria vary widely, and so do waiting times.
Before you apply in Australia: quick checklist
- •☐ Written pet request sent to the landlord or agent, with the date recorded
- •☐ Body corporate or strata rules checked
- •☐ Your state's restricted-breed list checked, if the dog's breed is uncertain
- •☐ Your council's registration cost and deadline confirmed
- •☐ Existing pets registered and vaccinated
- •☐ Your vet clinic told they may be called as a reference
And on adoption day
- •☐ Microchip number, and the registry it is held with — you must transfer it into your name
- •☐ Vaccination record, with dates given and dates due
- •☐ Desexing certificate
- •☐ The rehoming organisation's source number, if you don't already have it
- •☐ Current food, brand and amount
- •☐ Any medication, with dose and schedule
Photograph every page before you leave. Rescue paperwork arrives as loose printouts and it is the entire medical history your animal has.
FAQ
Can my landlord in Australia say no to a pet outright? Not as a blanket policy — that is unenforceable everywhere in Australia. They must give a specific valid reason, and in most states they must do it within 14 or 21 days or the request is taken as approved.
Do I have to pay a pet bond? Rules differ by state and this is one to confirm locally rather than assume, since bond rules were not changed uniformly by the pet reforms.
My rescue dog is a mixed breed that looks like a restricted breed. Is that a problem? Potentially, because assessment can be based on appearance. Ask how the dog is described on its paperwork and check your state's rules before applying.
Does the microchip transfer to me automatically? No. The rescue must microchip before transfer, but moving the registration into your name is your responsibility with the registry.
What is a source number and why does the ad have one? Since 1 July 2019 in Victoria, any dog or cat advertised for sale or to give away must show a microchip, breeder or rehoming organisation number. Its absence on a puppy listing is a strong warning sign.