Fees favour desexing pets

MICROCHIPPING pets will no longer attract a discount on pet registration fees after this year’s council registration deadline of 10 April.
New fees set by the Department of Primary Industries come into force on 11 April and while there are still some financial incentives for pet owners, microchipping is not one of them.
Dogs and cats that are desexed, over 10 years old or belong to a domestic animal business or organisation, as well as working dogs or dogs that have undergone training, will continue to receive a discount.
Yarra Ranges Council’s Director of Planning, Building and Environment Andrew Paxton said it is a legal requirement for dog and cat owners to register their animals from three months of age and renew their registration each year by 10 April.
He said the change to pet registration fees was aimed at encouraging pet owners to desex or train their animals.
The move has met with approval from animal welfare organisation Animal Aid in Coldstream which is the pound for all lost and stray animals from Yarra Ranges Council.
“Microchipping is great because it helps bring animal and owner together, but what is really needed is to have more dogs and cats desexed,” Animal Aid spokesperson Debra Boland said.
“If people get a discount just for microchipping, there is no incentive to desex and that’s what we really need people to focus on,” she said.
Ms Boland said microchipping was a condition for pets being registered for the first time and for lapsed registrations.
Animal Aid will be offering discount microchipping at their Pet Picnic at Lilydale Lake on Saturday, 23 March between 11.30am and 2.30pm.
For information on pet registration phone Yarra Ranges Council on 1300 368 333, and for Animal Aid microchipping 9739 0300.