Annual dog registration begins

Dog registrations for the 2024/25 year are open and the Kāpiti Coast’s canine community are encouraged to get this done early to avoid penalty fees.

Dog owners will receive invoices in the coming days and pups need to be registered by 5pm, 31 July 2024.

Manager Environmental Services Richard Hopkins says owners of previously registered dogs are encouraged to register online.

“Owners who have already registered a dog in Kāpiti can now do this online,” Mr Hopkins says.

“If you’re registering a dog here for the first time, please visit one of the Council’s friendly service centres to get your furry friends signed up and receive their first tag.”

Mr Hopkins says there are 8756 known dogs here in Kapiti with 6877 dog owners, which makes annual dog registration a very busy time of the year for Council.

“We have a large and growing dog population in Kāpiti, and it is important they are all registered.

“Registration enables the better care and control of dogs - it is not only a legal requirement.

“Having a register of all the dogs in the district, where they live and who owns them means we can respond to quickly and efficiently to any problems, making it easier to keep both animals and humans safe.”

Dog registration fees help fund things like a seven-day a week animal management service, 24-hour emergency response service for urgent dog control complaints and our wonderful animal shelter.

In the last year Council’s Animal Management team responded to 2527 dog-related service requests, including 377 after hours calls. They responded to all urgent service requests within one hour.

“Dogs are a big responsibility and no matter how much we love them, they can sometimes get themselves into trouble,” Mr Hopkins says.

“Our animal management, administration and customer engagement teams do an amazing job for the community responding 24/7 all year round to help keep them safe.

“It can be a difficult challenging job, but we know it's important to do well.”

Visit www.kapiticoast.govt.nz/dogs for more information.