Microchipping and registration
Registration
All dogs must be registered with the local Council.
All puppies must be registered by the time they are three months old; also, dogs that are newly acquired but unregistered and dogs that are new to an area (for instance, if you have recently moved to a new area with your dog) must also be registered with the local Council, whatever the dog's age. After the initial registration, your dog must be promptly re-registered every year with the Council - late registration may incur penalty fees. Neutered/speyed and working dogs are generally less expensive to register than entire dogs.
Further information is available on the Manawatu District Council website www.mdc.govt.nz. Look under Services in the green column on the left, and then select ‘Animal Control'. A copy of the registration form is downloadable from here.
Microchipping
The microchip is a small transponder that when scanned, emits a unique identification code.
The process of microchipping enables any lost, stolen or injured microchipped animals that are not wearing their registration tag to be easily identified by scanning the microchip. It also allows the Council to identify the owners of dogs that have attacked people, animals or other dogs.
Microchips are required for all dogs that are:
- Born after 1 July 2006
- Dogs classified as dangerous or menacing i.e. "pose a threat to any person, stock, poultry, domestic animal, or protected wildlife" or dogs with aggressive behaviour
- New to the area, whatever their previous registration history was
- Unregistered dogs that are impounded
- Registered dogs that are impounded twice
Working dogs are exempt from mandatory microchipping, but can be microchipped and included on the national database.
Once microchipped, the owner is responsible for taking the microchip form to the Council. The Council then adds the information into a national database which can be accessed at any time by the Manawatu District Council to identify dogs from anywhere in the country. We also hold the details on our computer system.
Microchipping must be done within two months of registration.
If you do not get your dog microchipped, the Council will send you a letter requesting you to comply with this law. If you still do not comply, you may receive an infringement notice and be fined. Please ring Totally Vets if you would like your pet microchipped.
