Registering your pet
Have an adorable fur-baby at home? Whether you're a cat or dog lover, everyone wants to be a top pet parent. This includes keeping them safe and accounted for in our city.
Registering your furry friend with Council is crucial if your pet was to ever wander from your property. Once found, they can be easily identified and reunited to you, free of charge.
Registration costs $27.50 for your dog and $16.50 for your cat up until 1 October 2025 and can save you the stress, and expense, if your furry friend goes astray.
Owning a pet
Your pet must be 3 months or over and microchipped prior to registering.
Download a hard copy (pdf, 434KB)
A tag will be sent to attach to your pet's collar once registered.
Need more information about animal registration submit enquiry.
What you need to know
Pet ownership can be a very rewarding experience. There are responsibilities that go along with pet ownership, and one is to ensure your pet is registered with Council.
This will ensure, should your pet wander from your property, it can be identified and reunited free of charge - saving you over a thousand dollars in impound fees.
Your Council registration fee gives you more than just a lost and found service for your pet.
It is also funds:
- facilities such as dog parks and the municipal pound
- dog waste bags and bins
- staff to respond to animal related enquiries
- responsible pet ownership information available via publications and websites
- 24/7 emergency response service
- discount incentive schemes for new registrations
- monitor and enforce standards on dangerous, menacing and restricted breed dogs.
A reminder Your Pet registration is NOT the same as a microchip registration.
Under Agriculture Victoria’s animal registration scheme, you are entitled to a reduced registration fee if you are a member of an applicable organisation, or you may be exempt from paying the required fee if you are the owner of a service dogs that has undergone the relevant training.
For further information, please visit:
Animal Welfare Victoria - Dog and cat registration fee
or
Your registration will expire on 10 April each year. You will be sent a Renewal of Registration for payment.
Please note, we have recently updated our renewal process. Pet owners whose registration renewals were not paid for this year will receive a reminder email to the email address used to register the pet with Council. If no email is available, a letter to households will be sent.
If your pet has died please advise us on council@mvcc.vic.gov.au
If your details have changed, or if you have moved, or your pet is no longer with you, please let us know. This only takes 2 minutes to complete:
You must notify us if you transfer ownership of your pet. If the new owner resides outside of Moonee Valley, the new owner must also notify the council where they reside.
Need more information about transferring ownership submit enquiry.
Initial registration fees are discounted for first time registration with Council.
Animals registered at the Lost Dogs’ Home are issued with a renewal fee amount as their initial registration fee.
Initial Registration Fees
| Cat Registration discount – Initial Registration | $16.50 |
| Cat Registration discount pensioner – initial registration | $16.50 |
| Dog Registration discount – Initial Registration | $27.50 |
| Dog Registration discount pensioner – initial registration | $27.50 |
| Restricted breeds, menacing or declared dangerous (including commercial guard dogs). | $240 |
| Service dogs (Guide, Customs, Police, Therapy dogs). Proof must be provided. | No charge |
| Transfer of Registration | No charge |
Annual Renewal of Registration Fees
Annual renewal fees are applied each year from 10 April
| Discounted fees apply for any one or combination of the following: • Desexed • Over 10 years old • Used for breeding by proprietor of Domestic Animal Business • Registered with applicable organisation • Obedience training which complies with the regulations • Kept for working stock • Proof must be provided. | $55 | $27.50 |
| Dogs with none of the above | $165 | $82.50 |
| Restricted breeds, declared dangerous (including commercial guard dogs) or menacing dogs. | $240 | $240 |
| Service dogs (Guide, Customs, Police, Therapy dogs) Proof must be provided. | No charge | No charge |
| Discounted fees apply for any one or combination of the following: • Desexed • Over 10 years old • Used for breeding by proprietor of Domestic Animal Business • Registered with applicable organisation Proof must be provided. | $33 | $16.50 |
| Cats with none of the above. | $110 | $55 |
If you keep more animals than listed, you will need to submit an Extra Animals Permit Application online.
Permits expire on 10 April annually
25/26 Fee for non-cat and dog permits is $ 43
| Poultry (excluding roosters) | 0 | 6 |
| Caged birds | 5 | 15 |
| Roosters | 0 | 0 |
| Dogs | 1 | 2 |
| Cats | 1 | 2 |
| Rabbits | 1 | 5 |
| Rodents | 2 | 6 |
| Reptiles | 5 | 5 |
| Racing pigeons | 0 | 40 |
| Farm animals | 0 | Only permitted by permit where there is 2,000m2 of open land per animal |
| Any other animals | 0 | 0 |
Dogs are declared to be dangerous if they have previously attacked, are kept to guard an industrial property, or have been trained to attack. There are strict rules on the housing, exercising and ownership of these dogs.
Restricted breads are considered a higher risk to community safety even though they may have not attacked a person or animal or displayed signs of aggression. These include:
- American Pit Bull Terrier (or Pit Bull Terrier)
- Fila Brasileiro
- Japanese Tosa
- Dogo Argentino
- Perro de Presa Canario (or Presa Canario)
Contact us on 9243 8888 if you have any concerns regarding restricted breed dogs.
Check out some of our local dog obedience clubs.
Council has 11 designated off lead parks within the municipality. We love all our recreation facilities and the open spaces across Moonee Valley and we know your pooch probably does too!
A reminder that dogs are prohibited from being within 15 metres of any children’s playground, public barbeque, or exercise equipment area. To keep our community safe, it’s important to follow local laws and show consideration of shared public spaces.
You must pick up after your dog and should carry bags with you at all times.
They must be under effective control, even if they are on lead. This means the dog returns when called, can be seen if off-lead, is secure when on a lead, and does not bother or attack any person or animal.
All dogs must be walked on a leash when outside their property unless they are in one of Council’s off-leash parks:
- Aberfeldie Park, The Boulevard, Aberfeldie
- Alf Pierce Reserve, First Ave, Strathmore (fenced off-leash dog play area)
- Cliff Whitworth Reserve, 37A Emerald Street, Essendon West (fenced off-leash dog play area)
- JH Allan Reserve, Park Drive, East Keilor
- Boeing Reserve (northern end only), Boeing Road, Strathmore Heights
- Cross Keys Reserve (eastern end only), Bridge Street, Essendon
- AJ Davis Reserve, Fullarton Street, Airport West
- Fairbairn Park, Woods Street, Ascot Vale
- Spring Gully Reserve, Keilor Road, East Keilor
- Thompson Street Reserve, Thompson Street, Avondale Heights
- Travancore Park, Mooltan Street, Flemington
More information on dog parks
Owning a domestic animal business
Domestic animal businesses include:
- pet shops
- animal shelters and pounds
- breeding establishments
- any premises where boarding occurs
- dog training establishments.
To register as a Domestic Animal Business:
Animal issues
This request is considered high priority.
Contact us on 9243 8888
Monday to Friday
8.30 am - 5.00 pm.
If the matter is urgent and outside business hours, call 000.
Investigating a dog attack
We understand that the incident may have caused distress, but it is important to write down detail of the incident as early as possible to help the investigation.
Details include:
- where the incident happened
- time and date of the incident
- if known, the name of the dog owner
- description of the dog
- any additional details describing what happened.
Dog attacks, on people or other pets, are serious. If you own a dog that rushes at, chases or bites someone who is either outside your property or trying to access your front door, you may be liable for damages, and you could be charged with offences relating to the Domestic Animals Act 1994.
If your neighbour's dog is barking excessively:
- if you have an issue with a neighbour’s dog barking excessively, we suggest you speak to the owners first about a possible solution as they may not know there is an issue
- after a few weeks, see if there have been any changes
- if you are unable to resolve the issue directly with your neighbour, you can lodge a complaint with us.
For guidance read our dog guide.
To lodge a complaint:
You can only report an issue with Council once you have completed and attached a Barking Dog log. Prior to reporting an issue, please read the Barking Dog Information pack as it outlines the investigation process as well as other useful information.
- The log needs to be maintained for 14 days so that we can investigate the complaint. You need to send it to us within 7 days of completion.
- Provide times and duration of the barking.
- Provide your name and address.
- Provide the address where the dog lives.
- Note the effect the barking has on your wellbeing.
Or send these details to Moonee Valley Council, PO Box 126 Moonee Ponds VIC 3039 or email council@mvcc.vic.gov.au.
If you lose your pet:
- search your property and check with your neighbours
- check our Moonee Valley Lost Pets Facebook page - please read the About section for guidelines about the running of this page.
- call The Lost Dogs Home on 9329 2755
- call all neighbouring councils (Brimbank, Maribyrnong, Hume, Melbourne)
- call local vets
- check The Lost Dogs Home Lost Dogs Photos and Lost Cats Photos on their website.
We aim reunite pets with owners but can only do so if they are registered. If we are unable to contact the pet’s owner, your pet will be taken to the Lost Dogs Home located at:
2 Gracie Street, North Melbourne
9329 2755
info@dogshome.com
The Lost Dogs Home
The Lost Dogs Home is Council's appointed animal management provider who offer pound and shelter services to reunite pets with owners, and also to find homes for those that are less fortunate. In line with the Domestic Animal Management Plan 2021-25, Council is committed to working closely to promote these services and to find these animals new homes.
Council recognises the positive health and wellbeing outcomes that arise from pet ownership. Pets can bring immense enjoyment and fulfilment to people's lives. As a growing body of evidence suggests, pets can also be of great help to the owners' emotional, physical and mental health.
If you are considering adoption, visit the Lost Dogs Home.
All dogs and cats are health-checked, behaviourally assessed, desexed, microchipped and vaccinated prior to adoption. The Lost Dogs Home will be responsible for finalising all documentation including the initial registration fee with Council.
If you have found an animal wandering your neighborhood and cannot locate the owner, please call us on 9243 8888.
We support a cat curfew in Moonee Valley, which means all cats should, at the very least, be kept inside your property between sunset and sunrise. However, it's safer for them and our wildlife if they stay inside at all times.
You can hire a cat cage (free of charge) by calling us on 9243 8888. Trapping must be done in line with Council’s Cat Cage Hire Agreement.
Any unidentifiable or unregistered cats will be taken to the Lost Dogs’ Home. Release and registration fees apply.
What to do If you have an unwanted cat visiting your property
- Check to see if the cat is wearing identification such as collar or tag.
- Ask neighbours if the cat belongs to them.
- If owner is known, advise them of the issue being caused by their cat visiting your property and respectfully ask them to keep their cat confined. The owner may be unaware that their cat is going into other properties.
- Seek advice from your local pet shop or nursery.
- Citrus, lavender, vinegar or eucalyptus sprays or other specifically formulated cat repellent sprays
- Motion or timed sprinklers
- Ultrasonic motion sensors
- Plant lavender, pennyroyal or rue (a lot of cats don't like these plants)
- Scatter citrus peels throughout the garden