Register pet now to save

Time to register family dogs.

Tomorrow is the last chance to register your dog without incurring a fine and paying extra.

If owners are caught with an unregistered dog the fine is $300.

Hastings District Council is reminding dog owners that there are just a few days to get their dogs registered before the fine regime kicks in.

Animal control centre manager John Payne said he preferred not to have to fine dog owners, or put their dogs in the pound.

"We want to avoid having to take legal action, or having to house unregistered dogs in the animal welfare centre."

Council has also introduced an online system for registering dogs, to save owners a visit to the council office.

At the end of last week 42 per cent of dog owners registered their dogs using the online option, council's customer services manager Greg Brittin said.

There are 11,833 known dogs in Hastings with 8606 of those wearing the right colour tag - yellow.

The Hastings District Council recently sent out 3467 dog owners a reminder notice.

Until the end of this week registration for an urban dog costs $110.

This increases to $165 from next week.

The fee for working dogs jumps from $48 to $72.

Dogs with "special owner policy" rating lose that status, and their owners pay the regular urban dog fee.

The Napier City Council charge $90 for a pet dog if that fee is paid by July 31.

If this registration fee is unpaid by this date a late payment fee of $45 is added, bringing the total charge to $135.

"We did send reminders out to all Napier dog owners mid-July who hadn't paid," Napier City Council marketing manager Rebecca Ainsworth said.

The council noted a significant increase in payments compared to the same stage last year. "We encourage dog owners to pay by 31 July to avoid the late payment fee," Ms Ainsworth said.

The Wairoa District Council fees for dog registration remain unchanged at $67 for a standard canine.