Dogs – let’s get one… or should we?

Responsibilities

Re-homing Dogs

Micro-chipping

Dog Registration

Dog Fines

So you think you’d like a dog?

Before getting a dog you need to consider...

Owning and caring for a dog is a huge responsibility and needs to be carefully considered. A dog is not an impulse buy, so never give or receive a puppy as a gift. It is important to choose a dog that will suit your family and your lifestyle. Your local Council or vet will provide you with information to help you make the best choice.

What sort of dog?

Before getting a dog you need to consider...

The breed you choose will depend on what you want a dog for e.g. family pet, farm dog, hunting dog or guard dog. The type of property you live in will also determine what size of dog is more suitable. Pure breed or cross breed? Long hair or short hair? Male or female? Puppy or adult?

Can you afford a dog?

Before getting a dog you need to consider...

Can you afford food, housing, annual registration, vaccinations, neutering, vet bills, worming and flea treatments? Perhaps you should also consider the cost of puppy pre-school, dog obedience classes and holiday boarding kennels.

Do you have the time and energy?

Before getting a dog you need to consider...

Dogs need company. They need to be walked and played with every day. They need to be trained and they need leadership. If you don’t understand dog behaviour, will you realistically have the time to find out?

Love them or not there is much to learn and understand about the responsibilities surrounding dog ownership and dog control.

BEING A RESPONSIBLE DOG OWNER?

The law requires owners to register their dogs and to keep control of their dogs at all times. Many problems arise because people do not manage their dogs properly.

If at home the dog must be confined to your property. There are many reasons why this is important; your local Dog Control Team will be able to tell you what they are. One of those reasons is territorial aggression. Dogs not confined to their property might think they ‘own’ the footpath in front of their house or the street they live in and will defend this area accordingly. This means that a child riding past a gateway or a person walking up the street could be rushed at by an aggressive dog; this is not safe. We know dogs naturally defend their territory so we need to make sure they know where their territory stops!

If you are out walking your dog it must be leashed in most public places. There are some areas designated for off lead exercise. In these areas you must still carry a leash and your dog must be under verbal control (comes when you call it). It must be well socialised and not dog/person aggressive.

RE-HOMING DOGS: Giving Your Dog Away

The Animal Welfare Act requires you to be responsible for the physical health and behavioural needs of your animal. This is why it’s so important to think carefully before you get a dog. If for some reason your circumstances have changed so much that you are no longer able to care properly for your dog, it’s best to re-home it. It is cruel to keep a dog constantly tied up or locked in a kennel on its own. If you know your dog is aggressive, don’t re-home it! It could bite someone! Talk over your options with your local Dog Control Team or a vet.

You may find it easier to choose a new family-ready dog from your local council shelter. Or the SPCA, dogs here are temperament tested, de-sexed and pre-loved.

MICROCHIPPING

Since 1 July 2006, all dogs registered in New Zealand for the first time (except farm dogs used for stock control) must be microchipped. This applies mainly to puppies when they are first registered at three months. Dogs classified as dangerous or menacing, dogs impounded but not registered and dogs registered but impounded twice are also required to be microchipped.

Microchipping is a better method of identifying a dog than collars and tags which can be lost or removed. A microchip is permanent and, providing it meets the required standards and has been inserted correctly, it will function safely for the life of your dog.

Microchipping was introduced for two main reasons. It enables a dog to be linked to its owner, so if it is lost or stolen, both dog and owner can be identified and reunited. A microchip can also clearly identify a dog which has been aggressive and classified as dangerous or menacing. This is especially important as it renders owners unable to disguise their dog’s identity.

Microchipping was introduced for two main reasons. It enables a dog to be linked to its owner, so if it is lost or stolen, both dog and owner can be identified and reunited. A microchip can also clearly identify a dog which has been aggressive and classified as dangerous or menacing. This is especially important as it renders owners unable to disguise their dog’s identity.

Any dog found straying by a Dog Control Officer, or taken to a welfare agency such as the SPCA, or injured and taken to a vet is routinely scanned and, if microchipped, can speedily be restored to its owner.

Unless the information is recorded on the council data base, the owner is not complying with the law and a dog picked up straying may be impounded rather than returned to its owner.

The only way to ensure that your pet can be returned to you if it is lost or stolen is to have it microchipped and recorded on the council’s data base. Data will be automatically be added to the National Dog Database. Read more about this database in the registration section below.

It is the owner’s responsibility to take the microchipping certificate to the council to have the information recorded as part of the registration process and checked to confirm that it meets the regulations.

You must also notify the council if information has changed – for example, if the dog has died or has been transferred to a new owner.

REGISTERING YOUR DOG

In New Zealand, The Dog Control Act 1996 requires all dogs over 3 months old to be registered with their local council every year by 1 July. If your dog reaches the age of 3 months after 1 July it must be registered by the date it reaches that age.

Registration fees are set by councils to take into account the cost of providing dog control services in their area and also to ensure that dog owners bear the costs of dog control and the subsequent benefits to ratepayers of having safe and well controlled dogs in their community .

Each council keeps a record of all dogs registered. Information on the dog and its owner along with its microchip number (if it has one) is provided to the National Dog Data Base (NDD). The NDD enables lost and stolen animals to be reunited with owners and keeps track of dogs deemed to be menacing and dangerous. The NDD is only accessible by councils and vets use a different database for microchip records. New Zealand vets mainly use the Animal Companion Register for microchipping and is often referred to by vets as the National Dog Database. Confusing? yes it can be.

The Animal companion Register is an excellent user pay service for pet owners. It allows for microchip numbers to be accessed by vets and other agencies. Whereas the NDD used by councils is free of charge and is compulsory for dog microchip numbers. You may choose to have the vet microchip your dog and only give the information to your council with your dog registration, or you can also pay to be on the vet database.

Dog registration and microchipping are two separate processes. You must register your dog every year, but you only need to microchip your dog once.

Important: Failure to register your dog is an offence against the Dog Control Act 1996 and will result in a $300 fine.

FINES THAT CAN BE ISSUED TO DOG OWNERS

As well as caring for your dog, following the rules set by the Dog Control Act and local Council Bylaws is another important dog owner responsibility.

These rules are in place to ensure

  • People and other animals are kept safe from dogs
  • Dogs do not create a nuisance
  • Dogs are kept under control
  • Councils can keep accurate dog records through dog registration

There are a number of infringement fines that can be issued to dog owners who fail in these areas.

These fines are set by Central Government and can not be altered by local Councils.

Section Offence Fee
18 Wilful obstruction of dog control officer or ranger $750.00
19(2) Failure or refusal to supply information or wilfully providing false particulars $750.00
19A(2) Failure to supply information or wilfully providing false particulars about dog $750.00
20(5) Failure to comply with any bylaw authorised by the section $300.00
32(2) Failure to comply with effects of classification of dog as dangerous dog $300.00
33EC(1) Failure to comply with effects of classification of dog as menacing dog $300.00
36A(6) Failure to implant microchip transponder in dog $300.00
41 False statement relating to dog registration $750.00
41A Falsely notifying death of dog $750.00
42 Failure to register dog $300.00
48(3) Failure to advise change of dog ownership $100.00
49(4) Failure to advise change of address $100.00
51(1) Removal, swapping, or counterfeiting of registration label or disc $500.00
52A Failure to keep dog controlled or confined $200.00
53(1) Failure to keep dog under control $200.00
54(2) Failure to provide proper care and attention, to supply proper and sufficient food, water, and shelter, and to provide adequate exercise $300.00