Being a Responsible Dog Owner in the Hurunui District means a few extra dollars will stay in your wallet.

It’s that time of year again, dog registrations are due at the moment with the final payment date of August 1st.

Records indicate there are about 1000 owners who appear to meet the Responsible Dog Owner criteria, and their registration rates have been reduced for this upcoming year.

Compliance Team Leader Andrew Brown said the Responsible Dog Owner category is for the best interests of the owners themselves, their dogs, and the District.

The criteria around being a Responsible Dog Owner includes having a dog that has never roamed, always paying your dog registration fee on time, and having your dog microchipped.

“People who meet all of the responsible dog owner criteria are not only acting in the best interests of dogs, but also generally require less time and resource from the Council.”

This backs up the Department of Internal Affair’s message that ‘Safety around dogs is a combination of good law, good enforcement, compliance by dog owners and community support.’

Responsible Dog Owners pay $33/year, while a standard registration is $47/year.

To remind yourself of what you can do to qualify for the reduced registration cost for 2021, please visit: https://www.hurunui.govt.nz/services/things-we-regulate/animals-and-pets/dog-control/responsible-dog-owner

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