Just like Ipswich’s booming population, the number of dogs in our regions is increasing significantly.
The city recently topped 220,000 residents and is increasing about 5 per cent annually. Coincidentally, the pooch population is increasing about 5 per cent each year too.
The number of registered dogs in Ipswich in May 2019 peaked at 33,239, a 4.8 per cent increase from the previous year.
Ipswich City Council estimates there could be a further 10,000 dogs in the region unregistered – and is trying to track them down.
Council will carry out two systematic inspection programs over the next year to identify unregistered dogs. They will run from August 2019-January 2020 and February 2020-July 2020.
The Animal Management (Cats and Dogs) Act 2008 requires all dogs over the age of 12 weeks to be registered with the relevant local authority.
“Dog registration provides identification, which improves the chances of lost dogs being reunited with their owners, promotes responsible pet ownership and allows council to provide appropriate management strategies and facilities,” a council spokesperson said.
Council undertook systematic inspection programs throughout the 2016-2017 and 2018-2019 financial years and identified that about 10 to 15 per cent of households had unregistered dogs.
Systematic inspection programs for unregistered dogs assist council in:
- Increasing the number of dogs carrying identification tags;
- Improving council’s ability to locate owners of wandering dogs through registration tags; and
- Minimising the number of impounded dogs that remain unclaimed.
“While the total registration numbers are a sound measure, there are a number of other indicators that suggest that door-to-door style inspection programs have a positive impact on registration numbers,” the spokesperson said.
“The officers are generally received positively by our residents and also provide valuable assistance by helping residents to update their pet’s details, or answer questions about fencing, containment, or other animal related issues”
Council also offers the Registration Rewards Program for all registered dog owners in Ipswich, an introductory rate of just $20 for first time registrations, and reciprocal registration for new Ipswich residents where their dog has current registration with another Queensland council.
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