The first free microchipping initiative held at the Invercargill Dog Park over the weekend was a great success. About 250 dogs received the free microchips and 88 dogs were registered for the first time.

“The event was awesome,” said Invercargill City Council Compliance Team Leader Kerry Kawe. “People told us the two-day event was an excellent idea and we got really good feedback on what the Animal Services team is doing. The SPCA was also on hand and they helped our staff with the dogs. ”

Animal Services staff used the Council’s Consultation Caravan when inserting the microchips. For people who wished to register their dogs for the first time, a special rate of $50 applied with no questions asked (dogs needed to be registered to receive a microchip).

Mr Kawe said dogs as old as 12 years were brought along to be registered. “To get all these new dog registrations on the books over two days is a massive feat.”

“My aim is to bring down the cost of registration and if all owners register their dogs this is achievable.

“Importantly, there is also a safety factor as the microchips helps us to locate owners faster. About 90% of dogs caught by Animal Services Officers have broken their collars meaning their registration tags are missing,” Mr Kawe said. “This is when the microchip becomes a real asset to locate the owners.”