Thanks to database every dog has its fee

The minimum cost of registering a dog is likely to rise by up to $17 in some North Island areas this July as councils seek to recover expenses, including a charge for belonging to the Government's new National Dog Database.

The $1 million database, which comes in to force on July 1, is supposed to improve record-keeping and the tracking of dogs.

The Department of Internal Affairs will levy local councils for the costs of administering the database but has not told individual councils how much their share based on the number of listings will be.

However, the Waitakere City Council estimates its part will total as much as $34,000 and is proposing fee increases to offset the levy.

Waitakere proposes a registration fee rise of $6 from July 1 to cover the increased running cost of the dog control activities.

A report to the council says the database cost represents about 58 per cent, or about $3.50, of that rise.

The costs of inserting the microchip in all new dogs registered for the first time from July 1 is being kept separate from dog registration fees.

Federated Farmers says it will cost $50 to $110 to have the chip inserted under the skin on the back of the neck by a veterinarian or technician.

Some councils are seeking to reduce that cost by training their officers to carry out the insertion for an additional charge, although dog owners are free to pay veterinary surgeons to do it.

Environmental Northland manager Kevin Thompson said his staff would do the job for $30 in Whangarei and Kaipara District.

"Dog owners are having to pay double registration fees for a new dog if you add the $50 to $80 for the chip," he said.

Councils decide the degree of user-pays for dog control. In Waitakere, ratepayers fund 31 per cent of dog control, but they pay nothing in North Shore.

Half the cost is subsidised by ratepayers in Auckland, Manukau and Rotorua and 40 per cent by Hamilton ratepayers.

Hamilton is increasing the dog registration fee by $5 to balance a decrease in the amount of subsidy applied from general rates in order to make it more of a user-pays system.

Councils offer discounts to encourage people to neuter their dogs to avoid excessive unwanted dog populations.

The council proposes to charge a standard fee of $100, which will be reduced to $74 if the dog is desexed and to $54 if the applicant has a dog owner's licence and the dog is desexed.

Tauranga registration fees are going up by $17 to bring it to $82 a year for the fully discounted category.

The new fee reflected the true costs of the animal control service, said council spokesman Frank Begley.

He said the national database accounted for $2.66 of the $82 fee.

In Papakura, the discounted fee with dog owner licence goes from $49 to $61 and the standard fee goes from $89 to $107. A council spokesman said the dog database accounted for about $4 per dog of the increase.

Auckland City Council registration fees remain the same, which is $57 if a dog is desexed and the owner has a dog owner's licence. Otherwise it costs $159.

Proposed general registration fee rises per dog (with full discount):

Waitakere $6 to minimum $54.
Hamilton $5 to min $55.
Tauranga $17 to min $82.
Far North District $4 to min $32.
Taupo $2 to min $72.
Rodney $10 to min $84.
Papakura $12 to min $61.
Rotorua $2 to min $30.85.

Minimum fee for councils proposing no increase:

Auckland City $57.
Franklin $35.
Thames-Coromandel $52.
Kaipara $35.
Whangarei $26.
Opotiki $35.
Matamata-Piako $35.
North Shore $55.
Manukau $40.


MP plans vote to exempt farm dogs from microchips

Farm dogs could escape being microchipped under plans by United Future MP Gordon Copeland to force a vote in Parliament.

The MP believes he could get the numbers to pass an amendment to an omnibus bill, expected to be introduced next week, that contains changes to the Dog Control Act.

His move could exempt farm dogs from the microchipping rules which come into force on July 1.

All dogs first registered from that date must have a microchip inserted under their skin so their identity can be "read" with an electronic scanner.

It was one of several measures enacted after a series of attacks in 2003, including the savage mauling of 7-year-old Carolina Anderson in a central Auckland park.

But farmers oppose microchipping, which could cost up to $110.

Mr Copeland said his amendment would explicitly state that only working farm dogs would be exempt from compulsory microchipping. Pet dogs on farms would not.

It would remove the compulsory aspect of the new rule.

"Microchipping of farm dogs is simply a nuisance that helps no one and will not stop any more dog attacks," Mr Copeland said. "It will prove to be another inconvenience and unnecessary cost to farmers, who are already up to their necks in legislation and red tape."

- NZPA