Microchip Your Dog

As well as registering your dog (due date was 31 July), all dogs (excluding working stock dogs) must be microchipped. 

Microchipping helps us to promptly identify dogs that are roaming or lost so we can reunite dogs with their owners rather than take them to the dog pound. 

  • Microchipping is a one-time procedure.
  • You must register your dog every year, but you only need to microchip your dog once.
  • A microchip, about the size of a grain of rice, is implanted under the skin behind the dog's neck.
  • A 15-digit unique number assigned to the microchip helps identify your dog through our registration records and the National Dog Database.
  • The microchip number will retrieve your contact details so if we find your dog, in most instances, we can notify you immediately.
  • If you dog isn’t microchipped it can be difficult for you to find your dog if it goes missing.
  • Under section 36A of the Dog Control Act 1996 new puppies and dogs (except working farm dogs) must be microchipped within two months of first registration. Failing to do so may result in an infringement offence of $300.

See ‘Dog Microchipping - What owners need to know’ for more information.

Dogs are required, by law, to be microchipped and this includes:

  • Dogs being registered for the very first time - since 1 July 2006 (excluding working stock dogs)
  • Dogs classified as dangerous or menacing
  • Dogs impounded, unregistered or dogs impounded more than once.

A microchip is a tiny piece of technology that carries a number unique to your dog, which can be scanned by our Animal Control Officers and vets to identify the dog and its owner.

The microchip is very similar to a supermarket barcode and is harmlessly implanted under the skin between the shoulder blades. The procedure is as simple as a vaccination.

The microchip is a transponder, which means it responds to a scanner. It is not a transmitter and has no power source.

You can get your dog microchipped by a local vet, or phone us and we can organise for a Bylaws Officer to visit you. We charge a microchipping fee of $25.00 per dog.

Benefits of microchipping

If your dog is lost, stolen or has escaped and strayed, it can easily be identified. If your dog is stolen, there is nowhere in New Zealand where it cannot be traced if it is scanned.

Every dog which is also the subject of a complaint and every dog impounded will also be scanned.

National Dog Database and Microchipping

In accordance with Government law changes that became effective on 1 July 2006, Thames-Coromandel dog owners will have their details recorded on a National Dog Database. 

Dogs registered for the first time will need to be microchipped.  If you have been given a dog and cannot provide proof of registration, then it will be required to be microchipped.

In addition to new registrations, all dogs classified as dangerous or menacing on or after 1 December 2003, and dogs that are impounded for a second time will have to be microchipped.

A vet certificate will be required as proof that the dog has been microchipped in accordance with the Act. Please ensure that this is provided to you when your dog has its microchip implanted.

Any dog owners affected by the new law who are found after 1 July 2006, with a dog that is not microchipped will be reminded of their legal obligation to comply and may be issued with an infringement notice and face prosecution, if they ignore these warnings.

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