MICROCHIPPING AND REGISTRATION

‍

With winter on its way, the severity and frequency of thunderstorms and rainy weather increase that may cause some pets to go missing or getting trapped.

Now is the time to ensure that your animals are micro- chipped and registered on the New Zealand Companion Animal Register (NZCAR). Please note that this is different to registering your dogs at the Council.

With the New Zealand Companion Animal Register, this means that no matter what vet clinic or association that your pet is handed into, then we can track the owners via the NZCAR website.

There are many benefits to micro - chipping and registering which include:

· Helping the owners be reunited with their pets faster (especially if they go missing or are stolen).

· Quicker vet treatment if your pet is found after having an accident (as clinics will be able to potentially contact the owners quicker).

· Being able to have microchip cat doors and microchip feeders.

Ensuring that your pets are registered with your up to date contact details on the NZCAR is also crucial. To check your animals’ details is an easy process by firstly having your microchip details handy (your vet clinic should have this on file or they can scan your pet to get the number) and then going onto the NZCAR website (https://www.animalregister.co.nz/) and inputting in the microchip number to check your details. You are also able to upload your animals microchip details if you so wish.

Remember that while micro-chipping is a great first step, they also need to be registered on the NZCAR so the microchip can be linked to the owner’s details. Dogs are legally required to be micro chipped by the age of 5 months. This is a simple process that we recommend at the same time as their puppy/kitten vaccination time.

‍