Visit Domestic Animal Services
Domestic Animal Services is located on Mugga Lane, Symonston. See maps.
Visit the shelter to adopt a dog or collect your lost dog if it has been impounded.
The shelter is open Monday to Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
Walk-in adoptions are available:
- weekdays from 10 am to 3 pm
- Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm
- closed Sundays and public holidays.
See dogs available to adopt to search dogs currently available for adoption.
About Domestic Animal Services
Domestic Animal Services (DAS) provides animal control services to the Canberra community. This includes collection of stray and roaming dogs, community education about responsible pet ownership and management of the dog shelter.
Domestic Animal Services rehomes hundreds of dogs each year and helps families reunite with their lost dogs. On average we rehome 98% of impounded dogs in the ACT.
We can also assist pet owners with registration. All dogs and cats in the ACT must be registered and their details must be updated annually. This helps pet owners reunite with lost pets quickly.
Domestic Animal Services investigates reports of animal nuisance, dangerous dogs and dog attacks. To report a dog attack or injured dog or cat please call 13 22 81. Rangers on duty will attend emergencies outside office hours. If the matter is urgent, please contact ACT Policing on 000.
Rangers patrol and respond to complaints from the public 7 days a week and can patrol any area at any time of the day or night.
Volunteer with Domestic Animal Services
If you love dogs and are looking for a fun and fulfilling way to connect with your community, this may be the program for you! We need volunteers to help provide exercise, socialisation and training for dogs in our care. This helps improve the dogs’ quality of life and increase their chances of getting adopted quickly.
We offer around 60 volunteering shifts per week from Monday to Saturday. Volunteers can sign up to a weekly schedule or book an activity on an ad-hoc basis. We run induction programs for new volunteers several times a year and will continue to add new roles as the program expands.
Volunteer programs include dog walking and dog enrichment. Visit the volunteer gateway to find out more and register.
Volunteers must have previous experience with dogs and be willing to undertake online and on-site training.
If you have any questions, please email TCCS.DASPrograms@act.gov.au
Donations
You can support Domestic Animal Services by donating dog toys, collars and leads for the dogs in our care. You can also donate old blankets, sheets and towels (no fluffy doonas or bath mats).
Drop off your donations at 92 Mugga Lane in Symonston between 9 am and 5 pm Monday to Friday .
Early childhood education program
All dogs can bite, but the behaviour and actions of the people around them can influence the likelihood of an incident. Studies suggest that the majority of dog attacks occur in the home where the dog is kept and often involve children.
In 2022 Domestic Animal Services launched an education and awareness program to ACT Government schools. The program aims to teach children under 8 years of age how to interact safely with dogs.
Key topics include:
- how to interpret a dog’s body language
- how to safely approach and pet a dog
- how to ensure the dog is being cared for appropriately.
At the end of each session, children have the opportunity to meet and practice how to interact safely with an attending dog.
For further information on the program and to sign up for a session in your school, please email TCCS.DASPrograms@act.gov.au
Assistance animals
If you use an assistance animal, you have rights of access to all public places that people are normally allowed access to. It is not a requirement for an assistance animal to wear any form of identification to gain legal rights of access.
The ACT assistance animal accreditation framework is voluntary and clarifies and promotes access rights for people who use an assistance animal.
It means that people who rely on an assistance animal can have their assistance animal tested, accredited and registered with an Accredited Assistance Animal card (ID card) for a period of up to 2 years.
Visit the assistance animals page for more information and details of registered trainers and assessors.
Accountability Commitment
Domestic Animal Services is committed to providing customer focused, domestic animal management services to the Canberra community in a fair, consistent, transparent, and unbiased way. To learn more about our commitment to the community, including how we approach our regulatory decisions and manage feedback and complaints, please read our Accountability Commitment (PDF 613.2 KB).
