Registering a dog
How to register a new dog
Dogs must be registered from 3 months of age or as soon as they come into your possession. A new dog can be registered at any Council Service Centre by completing the new registration form and enclosing the fee required. Payments must be made in full and can be posted to Council or can be made in person at Service Centres. Payment cannot be made to the Animal Control Officers as, for security reasons, they are unable to hold cash.The registration year is 1 July to 30 June every year and registration should be paid before 1 July each year to take advantage of a reduced fee.
If you have acquired or sold a dog that is already registered, both owners must also complete and provide a single Change of Ownership form.
Classes of registration
The Far North District Council has 3 classes of registration criteria:
PET – all dogs other than those classed as ‘working’ or ‘disability assist’.
WORKING – dogs that are kept solely or principally for the purpose of herding or driving stock. For the purposes of micro chipping exemption it does not include dogs that may be encompassed in the broader definition of a working dog as outlined in Section 2 of the Dog Control Act 1996. A Working Dog Declaration form must accompany any working dog registration application if micro chipping of that dog is to be waived.
DISABILITY ASSIST - disability assist dog means a dog certified by 1 of the following organisations as being a dog trained to assist (or as being a dog in training to assist) a person with a disability:
- Hearing Dogs for Deaf People New Zealand
- Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust
- New Zealand Epilepsy Assist Dogs Trust
- Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind
- Top Dog Companion Trust
- an organisation specified in an Order in Council made under section 78D
What does the registration fee go towards?
The dog registration fee helps to run Council's Animal Control services. Services provided include:
- Responding to complaints for example: Barking, roaming, general nuisance, attacks.
- Pick up and care for lost or roaming animals
- Monitoring and enforcing council's dog bylaws
- Implementing council's policy on dogs
- Taking action against owners of unregistered and uncontrolled dogs
- Implementing the Dog contol Act
What if I don't pay my account?
If your dog registration is not paid an infringement notice will be served. If this is not paid, a notice will be lodged with the Court for enforcement of the Infringement Notice issued. The registration fee remains payable.
Guide dogs and hearing dogs
Guide dogs for the blind and hearing dogs for the deaf are registered for free throughout New Zealand. Only dogs that are trained or approved by dog trainers, and are placed on a national register, are entitled to free registration. For further information about guide dogs and hearing dogs please visit www.rnzfb.org.nz or www.hearingdogs.org.nz
Registration of re-homed Dogs
The Far North District Council has introduced a new dog registration fee for the year 2007 - 2008 onwards, in recognition of dogs re-homed from proven establishments such as the SPCA.
This fee is a reducted rate, and subject to evidence that the re-housed dog comes from an establishment recognised by the Council. Refer to the Dog Registration and Animal Control Fees for details.
This fee does not exclude the need for the dog to be microchipped, if applicable.
From time to time requests are made to re-house impounded dogs. In such cases it is at the discretion of the Animal Control officer whether the dog can be re-homed and how fees and conditions (e.g. micro-chipping) will be applied.
Microchipping of dogs
Click here to view information about microchipping of dogs.
Page created/updated: 3 March 2010 at 2:08 pm - Go to top
