Northland pet lover starts online petition against fee hike

A petition against a hike in dog registration fees in Whangārei has attracted more than 790 signatures. Photo / Supplied

A grandmother and pet lover has started an online petition against an impending hike in dog registration fees in Whangārei, saying the move was unfair to those who are doing the right thing.

Donna Horgan's petition on change.org had garnered more than 790 of the targeted 1000 signatures by midday yesterday

and she intends to present it to the Whangārei District Council on July 1.

Owners will, from August 1, pay $150 — up from $118 — for standard dog registration while working-dog registration will increase by $10 to $96.

The 27 per cent price increase was introduced by WDC in a bid to boost financial shortcomings in dog control.

But Horgan, who has a puppy, said the $32 increase for a standard dog registration would stretch the finances of many pet lovers.

"I hope, through the petition, that we go back to the old rate of a $5 or a $10 rise because a lot of people are struggling financially and this is an unnecessary expense.

"Why stick it to the man doing the right thing? It's just not fair," she said.

Horgan said she was surprised at the number of people who have signed the petition to date as she thought that while people may have strong reservations about a fee hike, they may be reluctant to put their names forward.

WDC's justification for the hike was that in the last few years the cost of dog control had outstripped the income council got from dog registrations.