Council: final days to register your dog

Bullmastiffs Monty and Tilly show off their new blue registration tags. Photo/supplied

Western Bay of Plenty dog owners have been reminded they have just a few days remaining to register their dogs and avoid paying a late fee.

Of the 8686 dogs registered in the Western Bay, more than 3000 dogs have yet to be registered for the 2016/17 year.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council compliance and monitoring manager Alison Curtis said all dogs needed to be registered by the end of Monday, August 1 to avoid a penalty fee.

"We want to make sure everyone gets their registration sorted, because the penalty adds 50 percent of the fee to their payment due - so it's definitely worth getting in on time."

This year online registration payment was available so there was no need to call or visit the service centres.

The online system meant dog owners could avoid the last minute rush and could pay over the weekend when the service centres were closed.

Dog owners would have received a registration pack in the post or by email, which included all the information they need for the online payment, Ms Curtis said.

This year a number of changes to registration fees were adopted by councillors, including a lower fee for working dogs and an increase for entire (non-desexed) dogs.

"We strongly encourage dog owners to desex their dogs, and take advantage of the lower fee," Ms Curtis said.

"Desexing reduces the instances of dogs wandering, reduces unwanted puppies, and can lessen aggression in some dogs. For these reasons desexing is something we hope to see becoming more common in the near future."

The new fees can be viewed here. This year's registration colour is blue.

Owners can register their dog online at www.westernbay.govt.nz/dogs-online or phone 07 571 8008 or visit their local service centre.