Play it safe: why pet rego’s so important

When Louise from Buderim welcomed Leo, a lively and adventurous Labrador pup, into her family earlier this year, she knew the importance of making sure he was registered with Sunshine Coast Council and that his details remained up-to-date.

Louise said that Leo lived up to the traits common to his breed, he was extremely inquisitive and loved meeting new people.

“If he can hear someone up the driveway, he is running around trying to find an escape route to go and say ‘hello’,” Louise said.

“When our older dog Honey was a similar age, we had a harrowing experience when she managed to escape.

“It was before community groups on Facebook were popular, my husband and I were calling everyone we knew asking them to hit the pavement and look for her.

“You always think the worst. Thank goodness a kind community member had taken her to a nearby vet, but it took quite a while before we were reunited.

“I learned then that if she’d had her blue Council registration tag on, we may have had her back faster.”

There is a misconception that a microchip is the key to identifying a lost pet, however a Council tag can also be used to quickly identify your furry friend over the phone, without the need for them to be taken to a vet.

Last financial year Council re-united 131 cats and 275 dogs who were taken to Council’s animal management facility. Council hopes to reduce these numbers by encouraging pet owners to permanently attach Council tags to their furry friend’s collar.

If you have moved to a new house, your pet has been recently desexed or microchipped or your pet has sadly passed away, it’s important to ensure Council has the correct registration details.

Registration costs just $26 if your dog or cat is desexed and it’s free if you have a current pensioner card for a desexed and microchipped animal. Lifetime registration is also available if your cat is desexed and microchipped.

You can update or cancel your pet’s registration details via the simple online form on Council’s website by searching ‘cat and dog registration’.

You can also register with MyCouncil to update any of the following animal details:

• pensioner details
• desexing
• microchipping
• status of your animal
• request a replacement tag

Easy ways to pay your pet rego

The annual Sunshine Coast Council pet registration period is here, keep an eye out for your registration renewal notification. There are several convenient ways to pay:

• Go to MyCouncil to pay your cat or dog registration renewal using Visa or MasterCard.
• Pay using BPay by contacting your bank to make a payment from your cheque, savings or transaction account.
• Post a cheque or money order to Locked Bag 72, Sunshine Coast Mail Centre, QLD 4560. Include the bottom section of your animal renewal form with animal details.
• Pay via Council's website using your animal ID.