Why register your pet?
We know you love your pets and we want to help you look after them!
All dogs and cats three months of age and over must be registered with Council. Existing registrations must be renewed by 10 April each year.
There are so many good reasons for you to register your pet, for example:
It helps us reunite you
If your dog or cat become lost and one of Council's Animal Management Officers finds them, we use the registration details (not the microchip details) to rehome them.
If your pet is lost and not registered, once found it will be taken to the Animal Aid pound facility in Coldstream. To reclaim your pet, you will need to pay a pound fee, plus you may receive an infringement notice from Council for allowing your pet to be at large and for not having it registered.
Your pet registration fees help Council look after your pet
Your registration fee allows us to provide a range of services for pet owners, including:
- reuniting pets with their owners
- maintenance and patrols of off leash parks and fenced dog parks
- dog waste bins at parks and reserves
- discount incentive schemes for new registrations
- Animal Management Officers attending to nuisance complaints such as barking complaints, cat and dog trespassing complaints and wandering and stray animals
- investigations in to dog attack/bite/rushing incidents
- annual animal permit checks and inspections
- school education visits regarding responsible pet ownership
- prosecution of pet owners for serious offences including dog attacks.
Can I register my pet if it is not desexed?
Yes you can. You will pay a higher registration fee if your pet is not desexed, unless you register it at three months of age.
We are aware that many vets will not desex dogs or cats until they are six months old, so if you do register your pet when they are three months old, you will be charged the desexed rate. But you do need to provide evidence of desexing once your pet is six months old.