Knock, knock! Who's there?

Contractors will start knocking on doors across the city from Wednesday, May 17 to help pet owners ensure their animals are registered.

The annual door-knock program is providing pet owners with information about how to register their dogs and cats and ensure details are correctly recorded so lost pets can quickly be reunited with their owners.

Under Victorian Government law, all cats and dogs aged over three months must be registered every year.

People who have not yet registered their animals can still do so on council’s website.

This year there will be a focus on registrations that have not been renewed in the 2023 year from April 10.

Council’s Team Leader Compliance, Craig McClanahan, said the door knock was an educational program, aimed at helping people to register new animals in their household, as well as re-registering existing pets.

“The contractors, from Regi-Check, will provide people with information about responsible pet ownership, including help with the registration and microchipping process and answering general questions,” he said.

“This is about educating and assisting our community and we look forward to working with pet owners to make sure their cats and dogs are registered, as required by the State Government.

“It’s important to note that microchipping is not the same as registration, but if pets are microchipped and wander away from home, we can help to keep them safe by returning them to owners more quickly and efficiently provided they are registered with council.”

While the door-knocking program encourages cooperation from pet owners, those who fail to register their cats and dogs can face fines of $363 per animal and higher penalties if animals are impounded.

The Regi-Check contractors are carrying official identification and will not ask for money or issue fines.

Signage has been placed in neighbourhoods where door-knocking is being carried out.

The campaign will run until Tuesday, May 30.

For more information, call council on (02) 6022 9300.