Stay Swag, Get your Tag
Published on 21 May 2025
Thinking of owning a dog or do you have one already? Did you know that all dogs from the age of three months need to be registered?
Your dog’s registration helps fund important services, including monitoring and enforcing the Dog Control Act and Bylaw, investigating complaints (such as attacks, rushing incidents, barking nuisances, and roaming dogs), supporting the Lower Hutt pound facility, patrolling public spaces, and providing education, signage, and community safety initiatives.
As dog registration time approaches, we want to get a head start in helping our community prepare. It’s important that residents are ready for the registration process, which includes ensuring their details are up to date, knowing when the registration is due, and understanding the various payment options available.
We encourage our community to update their details now! By doing so, they can avoid any last-minute issues when registration time arrives. We also know that times can be challenging, and we’re here to help. We also hope to educate the community on payment options and responsible dog ownership. As part of the campaign, we will run a competition inviting the community to submit photos of their dogs for a chance to be featured. The winning dogs will help promote key messages throughout the registration campaign and will appear across Council’s social media, digital notice boards, and website.
If you would like assistance in planning how to pay their registration fees before they’re due, they can reach out to the Animal Management team.
Key FAQs:
- When is registration due? By 3 months old, with fees calculated proportionally after that.
- What’s covered? Registration funds monitoring, enforcement, and community safety.
- Microchipping? Required for all dogs registered since 2006.
- How does the register help? It helps track incidents and reunite lost pets.
Find out more about Dog Registration here