In Victoria, the Domestic Animals Act 1994 defines Domestic Animal Businesses as any of the following:
- A Council pound (operated by the Council or a contractor on behalf of Council).
- A dog and/or cat breeding business – where there are three or more relevant fertile females and animals are sold (whether a profit is made or not), and the proprietor is not a member of an Applicable Organisation. If the proprietor is a member of an Applicable Organisation, they are exempt from registering as a breeding Domestic Animal Business if they have less than 10 relevant fertile female animals AND no more than 2 are not registered with an Applicable Organisation.
- A dog training establishment (where the business is run for profit).
- A pet shop (operated in a permanent location that must be open at least 5 days per week).
- An animal shelter (for example: welfare organisations such as the RSPCA and The Lost Dogs' Home).
- An establishment boarding dogs or cats (where you receive a fee or a reward to provide overnight, daycare or home care boarding).
- An establishment that is rearing dogs or cats.
- All domestic animal businesses must be registered annually with their local council and comply with the appropriate mandatory Code of Practice. Local council will often require an inspection of the facilities prior to registration each year. Councils are required to report the number of domestic animal businesses registered with them to the department on an annual basis.
Specific legislation for each type of domestic animal business can be found on Animal Welfare Victoria's domestic animal businesses page.