Auckland Council is set to issue 5500 infringement notices over the next few days to dog owners who have failed to register them.
Chair of the regulatory and safety committee Councillor Josephine Bartley said dog registration is not optional.
“This is the first time we’ve moved to last resort measures and issued infringement notices. Dog registration is a legal requirement designed to benefit both the community and pet owners.”
The infringement notices will be sent out to owners of “sighted” dogs. These are dogs which were registered last financial year but were not registered this year, or dogs known to be still alive from either being “sighted” by animal management officers or as the result of a complaint.
The council in November sent out 22,929 pre-infringement notices to the owners of unregistered dogs. It said this move resulted in a “significant increase” in registrations and provided the council with more accurate data on the number of dogs residing in the region.
“We appreciate those dog owners who responded to the pre-infringement notices and did the right thing by registering their dogs and paying the fee. But for those who haven’t, this is the final warning,” said Bartley.
Fines of $300 come after multiple attempts to contact the owners of the unregistered pets, including opportunities to renew their registrations, the council said.
It also urged all remaining unregistered dog owners to act immediately to avoid penalties.
“Pet registration is a legal requirement, and ongoing non-compliance will not be tolerated,” said the council.
The council said the initiative is part of its strategy to combat roaming dogs and dog attacks, by “getting stricter” on Aucklanders who “do not register, de-sex or vaccinate their dogs, or keep them contained on their property”.
