flickjohnson

I have read something to do with the area of land required to keep dogs (1000sqm for two dogs) or at least I think I have. I have researched that much my head is spinning.

We are considering Christchurch (well that is our favoured area) and as far as I can see, you need a license for more than two dogs, and then a council check of the property for any more than that.

It may sound daft, but organising things for the dogs is one of my priorities - I'll leave the things like how/where we are going to live to my hubby.

Thanks

shirl

Found this on the Christchurch Council website if it helps.

How many dogs can I have?

Under the Christchurch City Dog Bylaw 1997, any person keeping more than one dog must hold a licence from the Council for that purpose (TOMD - Two or more Dog Licence). The application fee for the licence is $65.00 (for up to three dogs), and $120.00 (for four or more dogs) which pays for the Council to inspect the dog owners property (for four or more dogs, two independent inspections are made) and for the processing of the licence.

This is considered a once only fee; a further fee only being necessary if a further inspection is required. This could happen if the owner moves addresses, or wishes to change the type or number of dogs kept. If a further inspection is necessary, the fee is $30.00 or $55.00 if the inspection is to increase the number of dogs to four or more.

A number of other conditions relate to the issue of the licence. You can view a list of the conditions on the Keeping Two or More Dogs brochure.

You can apply for a Two or More Dog Licence at any of the Council Service Centres or by posting the Two or more Dog Licence Application Form and cheque payment of the fee to Animal Control, P O Box 24-284, Linwood.

Visit this link for more information

http://www.ccc.govt.nz/animals/DogRegistration.asp

hope this helps

flickjohnson

Thanks for your reply - it was very interesting, I read the link and it seems as long as the dogs are keep properly and in an area appropriate to there size, and have a license it may be OK. Good news

garryhg

Hi we are in Auckland and we have our dog with us,the yearly fee here for keeping a dog is about $90 dollars,and you have to pay that even though you only have 1 dog..

Dont know if Christchurch council do this but you can have that license fee reduced if you register for a carefull dog owner license..

You have to phone them and get a form to fill in,then they come up and inspect your property,making sure you have a fenced in area for the dog,and ask you questions about the dog and where you dispose of the poo and if they are happy they reduce your annual fee...Jacky

Joshlin

HI there
we are in chch and have 2 dogs and we live on a 800sq m back section, fully fenced.
you have to pay an annual registration fee for each dog which is reduced if you have responsible dog owner status (you fill in a multi choice question sheet based on leaflets that they give you) as well as pay a one off fee for the two or more dog licence.
The inspection is very straight forward - they want you to be able to contain the dogs, visitors must be able to access the property without coming into contact with the dogs, they want to know where they sleep / what you do with doggy doo etc etc. Ours are house dogs so no issues there. The inspector stuck his head over the fence whilst we were out and then asked a few questions on the doorstep for about 5 mins and that was that.
hope that helps

flickjohnson

Thanks for replying - seems I'm worrying needlessly. It;s probably not as hard as it seems. Hubby seems a bit paranoid about not taking more than two dogs in case we can't find a suitable property or the council stop us keeping the dogs and they will have to be rehomed ..... in a strange country!

kiwinow

We kept two dogs on a 700sqm section in both Auckland and in Timaru (a bit south of Chch) with no other fees than the registration fees, which are reduced by about half if your dogs are neutered and still further if you are inspected for responsible dog ownership. In some councils there is a limit to owning more than 2 dogs on a city property, unless you have an exemption such as for a breeder or show-er of dogs. If the council site doesn't clarify send them an e-mail.