March 22nd, 2024Time to register Fido and Fluffy

Pet owners in Ballarat are being gently reminded that pet registrations fall due on April 10 for renewals and new pets.  

Owners of Ballarat’s 21,000 plus registered pets will soon receive their 2024/25 registration form in the mail or via email, if they haven’t already.

Renewing registration each year ensures all contact details are up to date and officers can return animals home, not have to impound them, reducing stress on pets and owners.  

Each registration fee contributes to the City of Ballarat’s Animal Management Officers supporting the community by attending to nuisance complaints such as:  

• barking concerns
• cat and dog roaming reports
• welfare and cruelty complaints
• wandering and stray animals  
• investigating dog attack incidents and
• picking up stray cats and dogs.

In addition, the fee helps cover the cost of education and community information as well as managing and running the Ballarat Animal Shelter.

Guide dogs have been exempt from registrations fee requirements for some time, and now this has been extended to all assistance dogs.  

Subject to meeting the eligibility criteria (outlined below), assistance dogs are exempt from the registration fee.  

City of Ballarat Mayor, Cr Des Hudson said pets are a wonderful addition to our families.

“Registration fees ensure the City of Ballarat staff can provide essential services to domestic animals in Ballarat such as welfare complaints and picking up stray cats and dogs,” he said.  

A standard registration for a dog is $43.00 annually, whereas a pensioner rate is $21.50. Restricted breeds, as determined by the Domestic Animals Act 1994, are $249.00 annually.  

A standard registration for a desexed cat is $43.00 annually, and a pensioner rate is $21.50. Cats that are not desexed can be registered for $167.00 per year.  

To be eligible for the registration fee exemption, the owner of an assistance dog is required to make an application to their council, providing reasonable evidence that:  

• the applicant has a disability that necessitates an assistance dog.  
• the assistance dog has been trained to alleviate the effect(s) of the disability (as per the definition of assistance dog under Equal Opportunity Act 2010 (EO Act)).
• the assistance dog has completed obedience training, as defined in the Order.  
• the assistance dog is at least 12-months old.
• the assistance dog is microchipped.
• the assistance dog is desexed.  

An applicant is not eligible for free registration of their assistance dog if:

• not all eligibility criteria are satisfied.
• the applicant has been found guilty of two or more offences under the DA Act with respect to the same assistance dog.  
• the assistance dog has been declared menacing or dangerous.  
• the assistance dog is a restricted breed dog.