Dog Owners Plan Giant 'Dogs Breakfast'

10 May 2006

Dog Owners Plan Giant 'Dogs Breakfast'

Federated Farmers of New Zealand (Inc) has joined forces with the New Zealand Sheep Dog Trial Association to plan a noisy protest against the micro-chipping of all dogs.

The protest will be held alongside the National Sheep Dog Trials on Friday, June 2, in Omarama, in the Waitaki Valley.

"All dog owners - rural and urban - are invited to attend the rally against microchipping," said Charlie Pedersen, President of Federated Farmers of New Zealand.

"The microchipping rules in the Dog Control Amendment Act are a dog's breakfast. We will highlight that at the rally, which is themed as a giant dog's breakfast," Mr Pedersen said.

The Federation and association unveiled the protest plan at the North Island Sheep Dog Trials, currently underway in Taupo.

Under the law, all dogs registered after July this year must be implanted with a microchip. Federated Farmers estimates micro-chipping will cost $50-$110 per dog.

Cost is an issue for dog owners but, more importantly, micro chipping will do nothing to stop dog attacks. Instead, it will discourage owners of dangerous dogs from registering their dogs, which will make it more difficult to identify the owners of dogs which attack.

At the Taupo event, Federated Farmers Meat and Fibre vice chair Keith Kelly extended an invitation to all dog owners to join others attending the trials in Omarama to come along to the dog's breakfast.

"We want to see a united front from all dog owners in opposition to microchipping," Keith Kelly said. "The dog's breakfast will give many owners that opportunity."

Invitations to the dog's breakfast will also be sent to all Members of Parliament and the media .

Selwyn Dorward, president of the NZ Sheep Dog Trial Association, said the association, like Federated Farmers, opposed micro-chipping of all dogs, rather than just working dogs.

"We support this protest action because microchipping will do nothing to improve public safety, which is what microchipping was meant to do. We will continue to campaign against microchipping until this ridiculous law is overturned," Mr Dorward said.

ENDS

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