animated dog with title dog registration

If you call for Bella at Kakaha dog park, you’re likely to grab someone else’s dog’s attention, as this was the leading name for dogs registered in the year 2023/24.

Selwyn dog owners also love the names Poppy, Ruby, Charlie and Max.

If Bella is a labrador, she also takes the title of Selwyn’s most ‘pup-pular’ dog breed, with 2,231 labradors registered for the year 2023/24.

In the list of top 20 breeds for 2023/24, Chihuahua made its debut on the list, knocking off Bearded Collie from the previous year’s table.

Selwyn has one of the highest rates of dog ownerships in the country with one in five households owning a dog.  Bella the labrador is likely to be one of more than 17,000 dogs in Selwyn set to become official for the 2024/25 year, as the annual dog registration month gets underway in July.

Two dogs standing on top of hill Owners will need to renew their registration with the Council, with all dogs aged three months and over required to be registered before 1 August.

Council’s Head of Regulatory Susan Atherton says owners who register their dogs before 31 July will be eligible for a discounted fee of $60, instead of $75.

“The residents of Selwyn really are pet lovers and this is evident in the growing number of dogs registered in the district.

July is always a very busy month for the animal control team and we have tried to make the process as user friendly as possible. Registering on time is quick and easy to do online, by internet bank transfer, or in person at a Council service centre.”

Registration fees help to pay for the Council’s range of dog control services and facilities, Susan said.

“We love our dogs in Selwyn, so it's important for us to make sure we have a good animal control service. Our team are on call 24/7 looking after lost dogs and helping reunite you with your pets, helping with complaints, and running dog safety education programmes and microchipping clinics.”

With the district's booming population (and pupulation) the Council has increased fees for the first time in over three years to cover the increasing operational costs necessary to deliver animal control services. Costs have been kept as low as possible while still maintaining the exception service and value for money the animal control team delivers, Susan said.

Registration renewal forms were sent to owners in June.

Anyone whose dog has not been previously registered with the Council can download a new dog registration form from the Council website.

Thanks to the metal lifetime One Tags that were introduced in 2021, owners won’t be issued a new tag for their canine and can keep the one they already have. Lost or damaged tags can be replaced for $5.

For more information on dog registration, fees and how to make a payment, to see the winners of our dog photo competition or join in our colouring competition for the school holidays visit selwyn.govt.nz/dogregistration

Last modified: 03 Jul 2024 8:57am