They’ve been your constant companion through what has been a rough year: loyal, faithful, staunch, and fun. Now, it’s your turn to reciprocate.

Auckland Council is again reminding dog owners to show love for their dog by registering them before the 1st of August and taking advantage of the early-bird fee.

You can renew online using your dog reference number. You will receive a reminder email or text from Auckland Council with your details around mid-June.

New red dog tags will be sent out by post and should arrive within 10 working days.

For the first time, a new online portal on myAUCKLAND will be available from 11 June, to make it easier to renew registrations and update information. With myAUCKLAND you can

• update your personal details
• update your dog's details
• change your dog's ownership
• view your dog's registration fees and status
• renew your dog's registration.

For more information see myAUCKLAND.

“All dogs need to be registered by three months old and re-registered every year,” Animal Management Manager Sarah Anderson says.

“It is a legal requirement under the Dog Control Act 1996 and the information gathered by council goes into a national register which helps to locate and identify owners in the case of wandering, lost or stolen dogs. Our priority is community safety, so being able to identify dogs through their council tag is a big help to the team,” says Sarah.

After 1 August owners will be required to pay the standard fee; de-sexing also lowers the dog's annual registration fee.

Dog registration fees help

• ensure all dogs are registered
• respond to reports of dog attacks and complaints about barking and stray animals
• provide shelter services: impoundment, care for strays and reuniting dogs with their owners
• rehome dogs through our adoption programmes
• provide dog safety education for dog owners, schools and the public
• enforce compliance, issue infringements and patrol beaches and parks prosecute serious dog-related offences (under the Dog Control Act).

Dog owners must also microchip their dogs within two months of registration. Ultimately, all of Auckland’s 120,000 dogs should be microchipped.

“You must register your dog every year, but you need to microchip your dog only once,” says Sarah.

“It’s a simple, lifelong way to identify dogs and link them to their owner, resulting in the speedier return of lost, stolen, or injured pooches.”

For only $30.00, Aucklanders can have their dogs microchipped at one of Auckland Council’s animal shelters; details are then entered into the National Dog Database.

Councillor and Regulatory Committee Chair Linda Cooper says dog registration fees benefit all dog owners and the public.

“Funding from dog registrations provides a wide array of services and contribute to a number of vital services within animal management, including a 24-hour a day response to dog incidents and attacks, patrols, animal shelters and adoptions, dog-safety education and most importantly reuniting lost dogs with their owners,” Councillor Cooper says.