The Invercargill City Council is urging dog owners to register their furry companions before July 1.
Council group manager consenting and environment Johnathan Shaw said registering dogs helped keep the dogs, their owners and the community safe.
"Whether your dog is Bella, Buddy, Charlie or something a little more unique, it’s time to make sure they’re registered."
It allowed the council to quickly identify and reunite lost dogs with their owners, appropriately respond to dog-related incidents and complaints and monitor the overall population.
About 260 dogs that went missing were returned to their owners in the past year.
Dog registration is a legal requirement under the Dog Control Act: new dogs must be registered by the time they are three months old.
"Most dog owners will never need our animal care facility or a 24-hour callout service, and that’s exactly the point."
Those registration fees helped ensure those services were available when needed and funded the "everyday work" that helped prevent problems before they occurred.
There are about 9800 registered dogs living in about 7000 households in Invercargill.
To register or re-register a dog go to icc.govt.nz/dogs