Responsible Dog Guardianship

Registering your Dog

Every June, dog owners receive registration renewal notices from their local councils. The registration fee of around $15 for a desexed dog is money well spent in the event that your dog strays, becomes lost or is injured. Dogs wearing a registration disc on their collar can immediately be identified and safely reunited with their owners. Ideally, every dog is identified by a registration disc and a microchip. Microchipping guarantees that your dog can still be identified even if their collar has come off, (or been wriggled out of!). Dogs that roam are far more likely to be injured or hit by a car. Dogs depend on us to keep them safe so having them registered with your local council is a must in helping to ensure their safety. It is also a legal requirement of the Dog Control Act that all dogs over six months of age be registered, a requirement designed to assist owners, dogs and the community. Preventative measures are always necessary - a check that fencing is secure and gates are kept closed prevents many a dog from going wandering in the first place.  As the saying goes, properly trained, man can be dogs’ best friend.

Lost and Found
Microchips are a relatively new and popular system for ensuring companion animals are permanently identified. Here’s how they work. Imagine your gate is accidentally left open and your dog gets out. Your dog is found perilously close to busy traffic and is taken to the Dogs’ Home for safe keeping by a concerned member of the public or council officer.  Upon arrival at this unfamiliar place, your dog is unsettled and possibly anxious so staff act quickly to trace the owner. Unfortunately during his adventurous escapade, your dog’s collar may have broken, slipped off over his head or the metal ring is all that is found dangling from his collar where the council ID tag used to be.  But because your dog has been microchipped, there is a happy ending. Staff use their microchip scanner to scan the dog and obtain a reading which ultimately reveals your contact details. A quick phone call and you and your animal companion are happily reunited.  Microchips are very small and are inserted under the dog’s skin by a vet, much like giving a vaccination.  The insertion and scanning are simple and painless procedures. The microchip will last for the entire life of the pet and does not contain chemicals or batteries.  Microchips are commonly placed in cats and dogs but are suitable for most other companion animals.

De-sex Appeal
Desexing has many benefits for dogs. The only real issue about desexing is the ‘ouch factor’ which occurs in humans, when owners identify all too closely with their pet getting ‘the snip’!  On behalf of your animal companion be brave and consider the advantages of desexing-

• the risk of diseases such as mammary, uterine and ovarian cancer in females and prostate and testicular cancer in males is significantly reduced

• desexed males are likely to live longer - they are not exposed to the risks involved in roaming in search of a female in season

• aggression can be reduced - dominant or difficult dogs often calm down

• dogs are cheaper to register with local councils if they are desexed

• Desexing your animal actually saves lives as there is already a surplus of unwanted animals. Thousands of dogs and cats are put down every year in Tasmania because they are surplus to requirements. People who allow their companion animals to breed could inadvertently be responsible for the deaths of these innocent animals.

Being responsible pet owners means having our animal companions desexed.

The Ten Worst Excuses for Not Desexing Your pet - pdf
My Pledge To My Animals - pdf