A discount for ‘good owners’ on the dog registration fees sounds great:
The Marlborough District Council has increased some dog registration fees, but is giving a price cut to “good owners” who have microchipped and neutered their pets.
But if you dig a little deeper, all is not quite so rosy. What about older dogs that have never been chipped? It was only in July 2006 that the law was changed requiring dogs born since then to be microchipped1:
Dog owner Anita Baucke believes it is unfair she has to microchip her elderly fox terrier Tina to be charged the lower fee and thinks being a long-time responsible dog owner should make her eligible for a reduction.
She’s received a bill for $72 for Tina’s registration. If the dog was microchipped it would be $48. It would cost $56.25 to microchip Tina. Mrs Baucke said she remembered paying about $50 last year,
She said she would not have a problem with microchipping Tina if the pet was a young dog, but Tina was nearly 13.
Mrs Baucke said there should be exceptions for dogs like Tina that were desexed and had never been in trouble with dog control.
“At her age, I don’t know if she will be alive next year.”
[Via : Chipping discount riles dog owners | Stuff.co.nz.]
It sounds as though the Council’s ‘good owners’ category should perhaps be extended to those who have a history of ‘good ownership’ and not simply be based on factors such as microchipping and neutering.
What do you think?
Microchipping was introduced in July 2006 and provides a simple, lifelong way of identifying dogs and linking them to their owner, making dog control easier and more effective.
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