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Dogs needing re-homing
From time to time the Waitaki District Council has dogs that require a new home. If you are looking for a dog please call us to discuss on (03) 433 0300 and ask to speak to Animal Control.
Homes have been found for these dogs below. Call to see what who we currently have for re-homing.
Staffy
(3 years old) |
English Bull Terrier X
(2 months old) |
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General Information About Dog Registration
Under the Dog Control Act 1996 it is compulsory for a person who either owns or has a dog in his/her possession for a period of more than 7 days to register any dog over the age of 3 months.
You must be 16 years of age or more to have a dog registered in your name. The parent or guardian can register the dog, but they will be legally responsible for that dog.
How to contact dog control
To contact dog control you can call the council on (03) 433 0300.
Office Hours - (03) 433 0300 please ask for dog control
After Hours - (03) 433 0300 Automated attendant, press 5
The Register
The Council is required to keep a register of dogs registered with it under the Dog Control Act 1996. Information required to be shown on the register is:
· Name, address and date of birth of the owner of the dog.
· Physical address of where the dog is kept.
· Description of the dog eg: Breed, colour.
· The age and sex of the dog.
· The registration number of the collar, tag or disc issued for the dog.
In order that the dog register may be kept accurately, please advise the Waitaki District Council of any changes to the above details.
How to Register a Dog
To register your dog, visit our council offices at 20 Thames Street Oamaru or our service centre at 54 Tiverton Street Palmerston.
You may phone the Council's Customer Services Unit to request information, and for forms to be sent to you.
You will need to advise the details below for the register, and to ensure the correct fee is charged.
You may be asked:
· At what address your dog was last registered?
· Who the previous owner of your dog was?
· How long have you been the dog's owner?
(The above three queries pertain to dogs greater than 3 months of age)
· What age you are? (Legally you are required to be over the age of 16 before you can register a dog)
In the case of the annual registration of dogs, owners must register their dog on or before 1 August each year. Although an account is sent at the beginning of June, the responsibility to register remains with the dog's owner whether or not an account is received.
What if I don't Register?
The Council action in respect to the keeping of an unregistered dog is to issue an infringement notice to the person keeping the dog. The infringement fee for this offence is fixed at $200.00 and payment of this does not include the registration fee, ie the dog must still be registered. If you receive an infringement notice please read the conditions on reverse of the notice carefully.
Selected dog owner status
The Council has a special category of dog owner called "Selected Dog Owner”
You must be a registered dog owner in the Waitaki District for 12 months before you may apply for the selected dog owner status. The selected owner status will not affect the fees paid until the 1st of July following. (If you have not had a dog recorded for the full 12 months by the cut off period, ie 30th of April of any year, please put in a form as we will still consider your application. You will be notified in writing.
However, where an owner has not been a recorded owner in the Waitaki District Council area for the twelve month period but can provide verification that they have held a similar status with similar conditions in another local authority area, then they may be considered to have satisfied this condition.
Once this condition is satisfied, owners must agree that they and their dog have complied with a number of selected owner practices, and will continue to do so. This agreement will then be checked against the Council's records to ensure that all conditions have been complied with. Once granted the status remains with the owner unless any status conditions are contravened, in which case the status may be removed. The status does not need to be re-applied for each year.
Application forms are available from Waitaki District Council offices at 20 Thames Street Oamaru and 54 Tiverton Street Palmerston.
Use the Selected Owner application form (PDF 68Kb) to apply for Selected owner status.
Changing register details
Whenever any of the details on the Council's dog register are changed, the dog's owner must advise the Council as soon as possible (within 14 days).
Details that would need to be changed on the register are:
· Change of owner of a dog.
· Change of address of a dog (either same owner or new owner).
· Change of postal address of dog owner.
· Change of name of current owner.
· Any correction of incorrect details.
· Where your dog has died, or gone missing.
What do I get for my registration fees?
Dog control is not funded through rates and the Dog Control fee is required to administer all the functions in relation to Animal Control.
Some examples of these are:
· Under Section 34 of the Act every territorial authority shall keep a register of all dogs registered.
· Ensuring the Community is free of danger from roaming or aggressive dogs.
· Impoundment of stray/wandering dogs
· Care and maintenance of the pound facility
· Actioning of requests for service in relation to dog complaints, ie barking, biting, wandering/fouling dogs.
Administering all the functions of the Dog Control Act 1996 and the Waitaki District Dog Control Bylaw 2004.
Refund (death of a dog)
Where a fee for the registration of a dog has been paid, and the dog dies before the commencement of or during the registration year, the Council will refund upon written request (including the registration tag or a letter from a vet), a proportion of the fee paid, calculated on the complete months yet to run in the registration year after the date of the application for the refund. (this is to encourage timely although not necessarily immediate notification of the death to the Council).
How much is dog registration?
| Administration Fee (per owner) |
14.00 |
| Plus per dog (Category Fee) |
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| Working dogs |
12.00 |
| Non-working dogs |
45.00 |
| Selected owner dogs |
14.00 |
| Farm pet dogs |
12.00 |
| Probationary owner dogs |
50% added to base fee |
| Dangerous dog |
150% added to base fee |
| Late registration penalty |
50% added to base fee |
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Note:
Base fee = Admin fee plus the category fee
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Registration goes from 1 July to 30th June each year. If you acquire a dog at other times of the year, then you will only pay a pro rata registration fee for part of the year.
Impounding
If your dog has been impounded you need to call the Animal Control Officer (03) 433 0300 to have your dog released. There will be a charge to have your dog released depending if it is the first time the dog has been impounded and for how long the dog is in the pound.
The fees are as follows
| First Offence |
$25 |
| Second Offence |
$75 |
| Third Offence |
$100 |
| Seizure and custody |
$50 |
| Transport cost per Km |
$0.75 |
| Sustenance per day |
$7.50 |
| Destruction fee |
$45 |
Waitaki District Council Dog Bylaw 2004
Dog Control Bylaw 2004 22.4KB
First Schedule 10.3KB Prohibited Public Places - Parks & Reserves - See Map Below
Second Schedule Prohibited Public Places - Commercial Areas - See Map Below
Third Schedule 12.4KB Public Places where dogs may be exercised on a lead
Fourth Schedule 6.4KB Dog Exercise Areas
Fifth Schedule Leads Required - Oamaru Harbour - See Map Below
Map 310.4KB Relates to the First, Second and Fifth Schedule |