Is your dog’s paperwork in order?

Christchurch dog owners are being reminded that they must register their dogs with Christchurch City Council.

The Council pushed out the deadlines for dog registration this year because of the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 lockdown and has not been charging any penalty fees for late registration.

However, the Council’s animal management team are now visiting properties where dogs are showing as unregistered to speak to owners to remind them they need to register their dogs immediately.  Copies of reminder notices have also been mailed out.

Owners who fail to register their dog could face a fine of $300.

“We are getting towards the end of the year and there are still a relatively high number of dogs that are unregistered,’’ says Council Animal Services Manager Mark Vincent.  “Registration is now due on all unregistered dogs so if you have not registered your dog yet, you need to do it.

“We want to make sure that all of the dogs in our district are registered. It is a legal requirement and it assists us to bring your dog home, if they run away or get lost. If we find them, we will have an accurate record of who the dog belongs to and where it lives,’’ Mr Vincent says.

The discounted fees for those with responsible dog owner status are no longer available for this year, which means that owners who register their dogs will be charged the standard dog registration fee.

Dog registration fees pay for a wide range of dog control services, including dog bite prevention programmes, complaints investigation and resolution, care and welfare of impounded dogs, and free dog microchipping. The fees also help fund other animal management services.