Northern Grampians Shire Council has seen an alarming rise in the number of impounded animals this past month which is a timely reminder to the community to desex and register their animals.
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Many animals arrive at the shelter without identifiers such as tags or microchips making it difficult for council officers to locate their owners.
Domestic animal registration is a mandatory requirement under the Victorian Government's Domestic Animal Act 1994. All owners of registered animals within the shire have been sent their annual registration renewal notices which fall due on 10 April.
In 2021, Council's animal shelter impounded 316 domestic animals. 249 of these animals were not registered and158 were not microchipped making it extremely difficult to reunite them with their owners unless the animal was recognised on Council's social media pages or reported as lost.
Northern Grampians Shire Council Mayor Cr Tony Driscoll said last year's animal shelter statistics were a sobering reminder of the impact that unregistered and non-desexed animals has on the community.
"This influx of animals at the shelter comes at a cost to everyone; it is time-consuming and expensive to keep them, advertise them and find owners or adopters for these animals," expressed Cr Driscoll.
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"If the animals are unclaimed or the animal rescue groups that we work with cannot rehome them then ultimately and sadly they may be euthanised.
"This is the cruel result of their owner's irresponsibility and the message is clear, if you cannot get your pet desexed, do not own one."
Owners of desexed cats and dogs receive a considerable discount on their animal registration fees:
- Desexed and microchipped cats cost $35 per registered animal ($19 pensioner discount) compared to $100 for a full-fee non-desexed cat registration.
- Desexed and microchipped dogs cost $45 per registered animal ($24 pensioner discount) compared to $123 for a full-fee non-desexed dog registration.
Comprehensive information on registration categories and costs is available on Council's website www.ngshire.vic.gov.au/animalfees.
Animal owners should contact customer service on 03 5358 8700 if they have not received their registration notices. Applications to register new animals are available on council's website or from customer service.
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