Dog owners are being reminded to pay their registrations, with the number of overdue registrations in one local council area currently more than triple recent years.
Of the 10,759 dogs previously registered in the Noosa Shire, 1029 of their registrations are more than seven months overdue.
A Noosa Council spokesman said the number of overdue registrations had sat at about 350 for the last couple of years.
The council’s animal management section is about to begin looking at possible reasons for the increase in overdue registrations.
Registration notices were issued at the beginning of September last year and were due by the end of that month.
Dog owners have been urged to pay the registration fees for their animals now to avoid hefty fines.
The council’s local laws and environmental health manager Rob Smith said payment was a legal requirement and helped keep dogs and the community safe.
“Money collected from registrations helps council undertake patrols, reunite lost dogs with their owners, identify dogs involved in attacks, resolve barking issues and funds education campaigns,” he said.
“One of the biggest worries dog owners face is being unable to locate their pet if it goes astray.
“We see many lost dogs on our community pages, which can be heartbreaking for owners. We really want to see them back with their owners safely.
“Owners should know that it is an offence not to have current registration for their dog and to keep us informed of any change in ownership details.
“It is equally important to inform council of any changes to the information on the registration notice, including address changes. Failure to do so is also an offence.”
Mr Smith said updating details was as simple as visiting the council’s website.
He said the council would move towards fining dog owners if registrations were not paid.
“Despite our efforts, we still have over 1000 dogs in Noosa Shire with unpaid registration, even after sending a final reminder notice in March,” he said.
“We don’t like to but we have no choice than to enforce the law and start issuing $309 penalties either by post or in person to those dog owners with outstanding registration.”
Noosa Shire dog registrations can be paid online or at the council’s customer service centre at 9 Pelican Street, Tewantin. New registrations must be done in person at the customer service centre.
Registration fees are $186 (or $151 for pensioners), or $46.50 for a desexed dog (free for pensioners).
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