Pete West and his best mate, Tiger, are the lucky winners of a kennel and run worth $850 thanks to a Whakatāne District Council early bird dog registration competition.
Dog owners were encouraged to register their dogs before Friday, 31 July 2020 to go in the draw for the kennel and run, as well as numerous pet food prizes donated by Nestle Purina PetCare.
Whakatāne District Council Manager Community Regulation, Graeme Lewer, says Mr West was rapt with the win. "It's good to acknowledge proactive dog owners. This giveaway is our way of thanking responsible people who take the time to register their dogs,” he explains. "We also gave various Nestle Purina pet food products to 10 other dog owners who did the responsible thing and registered their dogs early," Mr Lewer says.
The extensive prize pool was made possible by the generous sponsorship and partnership with Nestle Purina PetCare, which kindly donated a large amount of high-quality dog food.
Registering your dog makes it much easier for councils to find and identify dogs. Under Section 36 of the Dog Control Act 1996, all dogs must be registered by 1 July each year or before the dog is three months old. Dogs must be registered with the council in the district where they are kept. Dogs can also be microchipped for easy identification; this helps animal control staff return dogs to their rightful owners should their registration tags be lost.