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Responsible Dog Owner Discount

Hekenga Utu ki ngā Tino Kaitiaki Kurī

Becoming a Responsible Dog Owner (RDO) means you will get a 25% discount on dog registration if your dog and your property meet certain criteria. Rural, menacing by deed and dangerous dogs are not eligible for the RDO discount.

To be eligible to apply you must:

  • have paid your dog registration fees by 31 July for the previous two years (or, if newly registered in Masterton, be able to provide evidence that registration was paid on time to the previous territorial authority).
  • Have your dog(s) desexed. (An exception may be made for certified breeders at our discretion).
  • Keep your dog securely on your property with access to at least one door of the dwelling without encountering the dog.
  • Make sure your dog’s shelter complies with or exceeds the requirements of the MDC Consolidated Bylaw – Part 7 ‘Control of Dogs’
  • Microchip your dog (if the dog was registered for the first time after 1 July 2006).
  • Confirm your dog hasn’t been the subject of a substantiated complaint or impounded in the previous two years.
  • Not have been given an infringement notice for any dogs owned by you in the previous two years.

How to Apply

You can apply for the RDO discount at any time during the year. Any application received after 31 March will apply to the following registration year (e.g., an application received on 1 June 2018 will not receive a discount until the 2019-2020 registration year). To apply you will need to:

We will contact you to organise an inspection and notify you if you have met the criteria.

Apply for RDO Online

Payments

You can make your payment via Internet banking to:

MDC

03-0687-0271682-00

Include the following details with your payment:

Particulars: RDO

Code: Your Owner Number

Reference: 1560707

RDO status may be revoked if the owner:

  • is convicted of an offence under the Act;
  • is issued with an infringement notice;
  • has their dog impounded;
  • has one or more substantiated complaints within a 24-month period; or
  • fails to pay their registration on time.

If a dog owner moves to the Masterton district and provides evidence that they currently hold RDO status (or equivalent) with another territorial authority, this will be taken into account by MDC when applying for RDO status in Masterton. A property inspection is still required, along with compliance of the RDO criteria. An application form must be completed but no further application fee will be payable unless further re-inspection is required.

If you move house, we will need to do another property check. If the new property doesn’t meet the criteria and we have to do more inspections then a $25 reinspection fee may apply.

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