In 2009 The Vancouver Sun collected information on registered dogs and then made a database readers can search:

Vancouver Sun Dog Name Database.

…101,556 registered dogs from 15 Metro Vancouver cities whose name, breed and neighbourhood were collected by The Vancouver Sun through Freedom of Information requests to local city halls.

The newspaper used the electronic data to create a searchable database (www.vancouversun.com/dogs) of local canines.

Along the way they discovered some interesting facts about breeds:

The data shows Labrador retrievers are the most common breed in Metro. The total number of Labs in the database (13,516) include 8,080 purebred while the rest are hybrids.

Labs are followed in popularity by terriers, shepherds, shih tzus and collies.

And information about names:

Max is widely reported to be the most popular dog name on the planet and The Vancouver Sun’s 100,000-entry dog-name database shows that local dog owners are true to the trend. There are 1,347 dogs named Max registered in the 15 municipalities that contributed data to the project, good for first overall.

[Via : Names increasingly reflect dogs' integration into the family.]

What breed of dog do you have, and how did you choose its name?

Bob Kerridge, executive director of the SPCA Auckland, New Zealand has some thoughts on dog licensing:

Imagine a city whose dog-owning residents are aware of their responsibilities, both to the dogs and their fellow humans, and are made accountable for the actions of their dogs.

This is achievable through the simple act of licensing the owner, not the dog. In providing a licence to individuals for the privilege of having a dog it would, in the first instance, be necessary for the person to be educated into the essential responsibilities that go with such an entitlement.

In this regard the Code of Welfare for Dogs is a document, soon to be updated by the National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee, which contains the essential standards of canine care so necessary in the health and welfare of the animal, together with helpful guidelines into their care.

[Via : Bob Kerridge: License owners to solve dog's breakfast of canine control - Animals - NZ Herald News.]

The (New Zealand) National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee:

…is a ministerial advisory committee established under the Animal Welfare Act 1999.

The Committee’s main function is to advise the Minister of Agriculture on animal welfare matters relating to farm, companion, wild and pest animals. It has a number of other functions, including providing advice on the content of codes of welfare specifying minimum standards for animal treatment and recommendations for best practice.

The Committee is progressively reviewing existing voluntary codes of recommendation and minimum standards which will be replaced by codes of welfare. The minimum standards in codes of welfare can be used to support a prosecution under the Animal Welfare Act, or conversely, can be used as a defence to prosecution.

The Code of Animal Welfare was published in May 1998, and includes these areas of concern:

1. Nutrition
2. Water
3. Housing
4. Exercise
5. Health and disease
6. Transport
7. Training
8. Breeding and reproduction
9. Surgical procedures
10. Injuries
11. Euthanasia
12. General

It’s an interesting read, especially (for us townies) the sections on exercise and transport.

What do you think: should we license dogs or their owners? Leave a Comment below.

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?

¹ The New Zealand Department of Internal Affairs : Resource material : Better dog control = safer communities:

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.