Dubbo dog ownership declines, Western NSW data revealed

Many regional NSW residents have turned to four legged friends for comfort during the pandemic, with pet rego numbers rising by 125 per cent in one area.

Dog ownership in some parts of western NSW has surged since the start of Covid pandemic, with new data revealing which areas saw the biggest increases and declines.

According to the NSW Office of Local Government and NSW Pet Registry, the Warren Shire Council area had the second biggest percentage increase in dog registrations in the 2020-21 financial year when compared to the previous year.

New dog owner Bella Rambaldini and her border collie Theo.

The town, located 112 kilometres north of Dubbo, had a 125 per cent increase in dog registrations.

Warren Shire Council ranger Johnny White put the result down to an increase in compliance activity undertaken by the council to ensure microchipped dogs were registered before they turned six-months-old.

He said that every two years the council checked the NSW Pet Registry for microchipped dogs who hadn’t been registered with the council and then sent letters to people to remind them to register.

“We normally go and do a door knock to see what dogs are on the premises so we can make sure they’re microchipped and registered,” Mr White said.

“Most people are pretty good, they just come in and get the registrations done after that.

“Once the pandemic hit we didn’t do the door knock because we didn’t want to put ourselves at risk.”

Dubbo woman Bella Rambaldini said her decision to purchase her new four legged border collie friend Theo was based on the need for companionship, not compliance.

In the Dubbo Regional Council area dog registrations declined year-on-year by 10.1 per cent, but Ms Rambaldini bucked the trend.

“I’ve grown up with dogs pretty much my whole life and at the beginning of the year we lost our other dog … it kind of left a hole in the family,” she said.

“I’ve always loved dogs and I wanted a companion and so I’d been looking around for a while, I wanted a border collie because they have beautiful temperaments and they’re very active and smart.

“I managed to find a breeder who was in Bathurst and she had him available and I just jumped at the opportunity.”

Theo has joined the family during the pandemic. Picture: Bella Rambaldini

Dubbo Regional Council’s environmental compliance manager, Michael Jarman, said he was unable to definitively explain why there had a been a drop in dog registrations in his local government area.

“The 10 per cent decline could be for any number of reasons including fewer people choosing to own a pet, or hesitancy from people who do not want to leave their homes due to lockdown, and are unwilling to travel to council’s administration buildings to register their pet in person,” Mr Jarman said.

“Council does not have any concrete data or information to confirm why there is a 10 per cent decline – this is just speculation.”

Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock. Picture: Christian Gilles / NCA NewsWire

Local Government Minister Shelley Hancock said it was wonderful to see more and more families across NSW turn to the loyal and loving companionship of man’s best friend, particularly during the current COVID-19 lockdown.

“Anyone considering welcoming a new dog into their lives should ‘adopt not shop’ for their furry friend by visiting a council pound, animal shelter or rehoming organisation to rescue an animal in desperate need of a home,” Mrs Hancock said.

“Rescuing an animal also has the added benefit of easing the burden on our hardworking council pounds and animal shelters which have come under increasing pressure during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Anyone rescuing an animal can also take advantage of free pet registration introduced by the NSW Government earlier this year to encourage people to adopt not shop for their new pet.”