Registering & Microchipping

The Dog Control Act 1996 requires dog owners to register their dog or dogs with their local council on an annual basis.

Microchipping applies from 1 July 2006 for:

  • dogs registered for the first time in New Zealand (mainly puppies) with the exception of working farm dogs that are kept solely or primarily for herding or driving stock.

  • dogs that have been classified as dangerous or menacing after 1 December 2003

  • dogs that are unregistered and are impounded

  • dogs that are registered and get impounded twice from 1July 2006

The microchip is about the size of a grain of rice and will be inserted into the scruff of your dog’s neck. It contains a number that belongs only to your dog, providing a secure and reliable way of identifying it for the rest of its life. As with other injections, microchipping is a simple procedure.

After it has been microchipped, if your dog gets lost and picked up by a dog control officer, or injured and taken to a vet, the microchip can be scanned to find out the number. This can then be checked by your city or district council on the National Dog Database (from July 2006), which will show your contact details. This greatly increases the chances of you and your dog being quickly reunited.

As well as helping identify the owners of lost or stolen dogs, microchipping and the National Dog Database will help dog control officers identify those dog owners who don’t properly care for their dogs or allow them to roam. It will also be much easier for dog control officers to keep track of dangerous and menacing dogs as they move around the country.

Dog registration and microchipping are two separate processes. You must register your dog every year, but you only need to microchip your dog once.

What you need to do

From 1 July 2006, if you have:

  • a new puppy
  • a dog that has never been registered in New Zealand
  • a dog that has been classified dangerous or menacing on or after 1 December 2003 . . .
  • Then you must do the following:
  • puppy or dog registered for the first time: microchip within two months of registration (first registration occurs before new puppies are three months old, or straight away if your new dog is older than that, but unregistered). If you get a vet to microchip your puppy, it can be done when they vaccinate your pup
  • menacing or dangerous dog: microchip within two months of being classified, (or by 1 September 2006, if classified between 1 December 2003 and 30 June 2006).

Once your dog is microchipped, your council must be sure that the microchip meets certain standards and has been inserted correctly.

This will generally involve taking your dog, or a certificate from the vet, back to your council. Your council will be able to tell you more about this when you register your dog.

Want to know more?


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