Latrobe City Council has almost doubled the number of pet registrations in the municipality following a one month amnesty and promotional campaign.
Latrobe City CEO, Penny Holloway said the response to the amnesty had been totally overwhelming with registrations lifted from 11,000 to more than 20,000.
“From discussions with other municipalities, our officers recognised that we could be lagging where the percentage of pet registration compliance was concerned,” Penny Holoway said.
“However the big question was how to lift compliance levels without resorting to the ‘big stick’ approach.
“Imposing a large fine on a pensioner or person on a low income for failing to register an animal is a legal option we are entitled to take, but it was the view of this Council that other avenues should be explored first, and imposing fines should be a last resort.
“A one month amnesty was announced through news releases carried by the local press, radio and television; and a small campaign of advertisements appeared in the local press.
“Owners of unregistered cats and dogs had one month in which to register their pets on a ‘no questions asked’ basis. The procedure for registering them was kept as simple as possible to maximise compliance.
“The press advertisements were appealing, highly persuasive, and directly targeted owners of unregistered pets.
“The key message was that once the amnesty was over, local laws officers would be door knocking seeking unregistered cats and dogs, and there was a high probability of owners being caught if their animals remained unregistered.
“The phone lines rang hot with hundreds of pet owners asked by our Call Centre operators to defer their visit to the following week, being assured in the meantime that as they had made the effort to contact us, they would not be penalised.
“While it is human nature to prefer not to have to pay bills, I believe we managed to maximise compliance without creating ill feeling. The use of fines and any resulting hardship and bitterness was avoided, though this remains an option to be imposed on the very few who failed to respond.
For further information contact Jeremy Bein, Public Relations Officer, telephone (03) 5173 1468.
