The dingo is the only native mammal that is not protected in NSW. It is also the only native mammal that you can have as a pet without needing a licence from the Department of Planning and Environment or any other state government authority.
Removing a dingo from the wild to keep it as a pet is illegal all throughout Australia, but buying them from an adoption program is legal in some states. In New South Wales and Western Australia, you can keep pet dingoes without any permit.
Puppies cost from $500 -$1000 Australian. A Dingo Farm in Australia has over 100 dingoes and is breeding the dog to ensure it is around for prosperity in the 'pure bloodline. ' Owners of the Dingo need to display a natural authority. Calm, but firm, confident and consistent with the rules.
Dingoes can be kept as pets if they are taken from a litter no older than six weeks of age and then aggressively trained. Unfortunately for city dwellers looking to take in a dingo, these dogs cannot be cooped up in an apartment and require a large amount of space for roaming.
Legal requirements
The dingo is a category 3, 4, 5 and 6 restricted invasive animal under the Biosecurity Act 2014. You must not move, keep, feed, give away, sell, or release into the environment. Penalties may apply.
Currently only dogs, cats, rabbits, horses and selected species of birds from approved countries may be imported as pets and only when strict conditions are met. No other vertebrate animals are approved for import into Australia as pets.
"The man told compliance officers that he threw biscuits in the sand to the wongari when he was cleaning out his vehicle." While significant, the $2300 is much lower than the maximum fine a court can impose for feeding a dingo, which sits at $11,500.
The typical Carolina dog has pointed ears, a fox-like snout and a tail that curves like a fishhook when it is raised. They look similar to Australian Dingoes but, taxonomically, they fall under canis familiaris.
The Australian dingo's genome is substantially different from modern dog breeds, suggesting the canines have never been domesticated in the past, a detailed analysis reveals. The dingo is a type of dog that arrived in Australia around 5000 to 8500 years ago and now roams wild in most of the country.
You'll never hear a Dingo bark! The call of Australia's wild dog is a howling noise. It's more high pitched than that of domestic dogs. In the cooler months Dingoes howl more than at other times.
While dingoes have the potential to be dangerous to humans, in reality the incidence of attacks on humans is relatively rare. The risk of dangerous behaviour is greatly increased in dingoes that have become familiar and habituated to humans through feeding or other encouragement. Be dingo-safe!
Never approach a dingo. It is also an offence and penalties apply. It is an offence to feed a dingo, attract it using food or food waste, or disturb it anywhere on K'gari, whether on public or private land.
It is about 120 cm (48 inches) long, including the 30-cm (12-inch) tail, and stands about 60 cm (24 inches) tall at the shoulder. Females are smaller than males in both height and weight; female adults weigh 11.8 to 19.4 kg (26 to about 43 pounds), while the largest males approach 20 kg (44 pounds).
Dingoes in the wild live 3–5 years with few living past 7–8 years. Some have been recorded living up to 10 years. In captivity, they live for 14–16 years.
Dingoes are generally a non-aggressive species, but have been known to attack humans, pets and livestock. While they are naturally wary and timid around people and will more often than not run away if they sense people approaching, there have been recorded negative interactions between this wild dog species and humans.
However, many canid species, including wolves, dingoes and dogs, can interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
The relationship between canids and Indigenous Australians is intricate, but unique in that these peoples never domesticated the wild dingo. Neither were dingoes and dogs seen as a source of food nor in many cases considered practical hunting assistants, yet they were highly prized.
Dingoes tend to bond well with children and women. well with strangers and dogs in public settings like dog parks. As highly intelligent animals, dingoes easily distinguish between 'friends' and 'food'. Their game drive does not make them inherently unpredictable or dangerous towards people.
With their gregarious, playful manner, dingo pups enjoy spending time with people, as they have done for thousands of years.
Researchers at the University of Sydney have found no genetic evidence that the iconic Australian kelpie shares canine ancestry with a dingo, despite Australian bush myth.
A dingo–dog hybrid is a hybrid cross between a dingo and a domestic dog. The current population of free ranging domestic dogs in Australia is now probably higher than in the past.
About the Breed
The compact but muscular Australian Cattle Dog, also called Blue or Red Heeler or Queensland Heeler, is related to Australia's famous wild dog, the Dingo.
Between 2018 and 2023, there have been 33 incidents where a person has been nipped, mouthed or bitten by a dingo on K'gari.
UNDER THREAT
Even though the dingo is listed as a vulnerable species by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN), the dingo is still the only Australian mammal not protected under the National Parks and Wildlife Act.