New Zealand Companion Animal Register

15/09/2025

Do you use any te Reo Māori verbal cues with your animal? Or perhaps they have a te Reo Māori name? We know from our register that there are many beautiful names out there!

Feel free to share with us in the comments to help celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Māori. ❤️

🌿✨ Te Wiki o te Reo Māori | Māori Language Week ✨🌿

This week we’re celebrating te reo Māori by learning some of the words and phrases we can use every day with our animals 🐾.

While our animals may not be able to learn a whole new language – and we don’t want to confuse them too much with new verbal cues – it’s still special for us as their guardians to know these words.

And who knows, your body language, tone and consistency of our voices might mean they pick up on them anyway 💙

Here are a few to get started:

🐶 Kuri – Dog
🐱 Ngeru – Cat
🐴 Hōiho – Horse
🐟 Ika – Fish

And some simple verbal cues you might use:
👉 Tīkina - fetch
👉 E noho – Sit
👉 Tatari – Stay / wait
👉 Haere mai – Come here

10/09/2025

🐾 Big news for cats in Northland! 🐾

The Far North District Council's new Keeping of Animals Bylaw has been adopted - and it means cats over four months old must now be microchipped, registered on the NZ Companion Animal Register, and desexed.

Why does this matter?
✨ Makes it easier to reunite lost cats with their families
✨ Supports healthier, happier pets
✨ Reduces stray and feral cat populations by desexing of roaming pet cats
✨ Protects our native wildlife

We’re proud to see councils taking steps that encourage responsible pet ownership and benefit both cats and communities. We were pleased to be able to make a submission supporting this as part of the consultation process. 💛

The SPCA is also running free desexing and microchipping programmes in Northland to help make this transition accessible to everyone.

📖 Read more about the bylaw here: https://www.fndc.govt.nz/Whats-New/Latest-news/news-items/2025/September/new-bylaw-encourages-responsible-cat-ownership

Companion Animals Home

09/09/2025

Do you have a fearful, shy, or anxious dog? Tune in tonight for information on how to support them!! 🥰

🐾 Happening tonight at 7pm!

Effective Strategies for Working with Fearful, Shy, or Anxious Dogs 🐕✨

Join Debbie Jacobs, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, as she shares evidence-based, humane strategies for helping vulnerable and at-risk dogs feel safe — whether in foster, shelters, or forever homes.

You’ll learn:
✔️ Foundational principles of behaviour
✔️ Why some popular training methods may help (or harm)
✔️ How you can support a dog’s journey toward confidence and safety

Don’t miss this chance to build your knowledge and be part of the chain of care that transforms lives. This is a recording of Debbie and we are lucky enough to have Dr Jess Beer from Kiwi Vet Behaviour joining us to answer questions live!

📅 Tonight, 7pm

👉 Register to attend here:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScLAdiCcWx3g0ksQBsOz2D3ABz3H4_S93-Wgo1BYaJu9o1uSw/viewform

08/09/2025

💭 Writing a will isn’t always easy to think about, but it’s one of the most important things we can do for the people (and pets!) we love. September is Gifts in Wills Month – a good reminder to start the conversation. 🌿

🌿 We’re now into the second week of Gifts in Wills Month 🌿

Have you thought about your will? It’s something many of us put off – and not just younger people, who often feel it’s “too soon” to think about. But having a will in place is one of the most important steps you can take to protect the things and beings you care about.

By including Companion Animals New Zealand in your will, you can help create a brighter future for pets and the people who love them. Every gift – no matter the size – helps us continue our mission of improving companion animal welfare across Aotearoa. 🐾

✨ Together, we can make a difference for generations of animals and their families.

www.companionanimals.nz/gifts-in-wills

07/09/2025

Do you work with fearful, shy, or anxious dogs - or perhaps have one at home? If so, this is a must watch webinar!

03/09/2025

Nearly 18-year-old Obi has finally returned home after missing for an incredible 6 years! 😻

When Obi was 12 years old, he simply vanished from his family home in Raumati Beach. The family searched for him for years and chatted with everyone they passed by asking about their wee boy without any luck. Though he was always in their hearts with glimmers of hope throughout the years, they never expected to see him again.

You can imagine his family’s surprise when they recently received a long-overdue call from Raumati Vet Centre advising that their friendly older gentleman had been brought into their clinic by a kind member of the public. Luckily the guardian’s contact details were still up to date in the NZCAR, so the vet was able to contact them straight away!

It was clear that Obi had been living rough for some time, however the vets took great care of him with so much compassion and concern according to his guardian. Obi has now been reunited with the guardian’s son who originally had him as a kitten, and he has been able to introduce Obi to his own young children. He’s enjoying lots of long-lost cuddles, eating well and has started purring again.

Obi’s entire family is so relieved to have their wee man back home so his twilight years can be filled with love and comfort! They are so grateful to the kind stranger who found Obi and to Raumati Vet Centre for all of their amazing work and support.

If your pet has gone missing, even many years ago, be sure to keep your contact details up to date on the NZCAR – go to www.animalregister.co.nz to check and update your details.

02/09/2025

Having your pet go missing is a very stressful time. But it is important not to panic!

Start by checking that your pet’s microchip is registered and your contact details are up to date on the NZCAR. Then, mark your pet as LOST to create a LostPet listing. The details will automatically populate in your lost pet listing.

If your pet isn’t microchipped, you can still create a LostPet listing—you’ll just need to set up an account with your details first.

Creating a lost pet listing is easy. The NZCAR and LostPet are used by SPCA, shelters and vets all around the country – helping spread your message as far and wide as possible. 🐾

Don’t forget to check out our Missing Pet Checklist for more steps to help bring your pet home.

29/08/2025

Here’s a feel-good Friday story to brighten your week! 😻 We’re so pleased a kind member of the public found Dusty and took him into their local vet to check for a microchip. Great work to Dusty's guardian for keeping their contact details up to date!

Thank you, Town & Country Vet, for sharing Dusty’s story and the fantastic information about how microchips get lost pets home! ☺️

Check that your pet’s details are up to date today, at www.animalregister.co.nz 🐾

Again, we see the importance of microchipping your animals to get them back to you sooner. 😼Dusty had been missing for over four months when he was found and brought into our vet clinic. Luckily, he was microchipped, and we got hold of his owner who was so excited and surprised that he had been found. 🥰

We recommend microchipping and registering with New Zealand Companion Animal Register. You can do this here with us at Town & Country Vet. 🐶🐱Under Tasman District Council's and Nelson City Council's bylaws it is a requirement to microchip your cat.
😔We frequently get pets dropped off and they have no microchip. It is so hard when we cannot reunite owners with their lost pet. 😿

27/08/2025

“When we can reunite them with their owner, it’s like hitting the jackpot.”

We couldn’t agree more! We are so pleased to hear that DJ has been reunited with his family after missing for nearly a year! Thank you to the kind member of the public who took DJ into a local vet and to Street Cats South Canterbury for their support and sharing this wonderful story.

Make sure your pet’s microchip is up to date - it’s the best chance they have of finding their way home if they ever go missing.

Check or update your details at animalregister.co.nz

Late last night, we received a message from a caring person who had trapped a cat that had been hanging around for months, possibly going through Otto bins and possibly getting into the neighbors chicken coop. We asked if she could drop it off at the vet this morning. Upon arrival at the vet, he was checked for a microchip, and sure enough, he had one, and it was registered on the NZCAR. It turns out his name is DJ, and he had been missing for nearly a year. His owner was soooo happy that he had finally been found.
We get a few cats in that are desexed, but no microchip. We know they have been loved at some point, but we rarely reunite them with their owner, even after advertising and doing letterbox drops, but when we do get one in with a microchip, and we can reunite them with their owner, it's like hitting the jackpot. This is a fantastic outcome for DJ and his dad.

25/08/2025

🐾 We’re heading to the Auckland Pet & Animal Expo on 20–21 September! 🐾

Come and say hi 👋 – we’ll be at the Auckland Showgrounds alongside so many amazing exhibitors. It’s a great chance to discover new pet products, connect with animal lovers, and have a chat with us.

📍 Auckland Showgrounds
🗓 20–21 September
⏰ 10am–5pm daily

Are you planning to go? Let us know in the comments – we’d love to see you there! 💙

24/08/2025

🐾 Lola’s long journey home - thanks to LostPet! 🐾

After 39 heart-wrenching days missing, 12-year-old Lola - a sweet, one-eyed pup originally from Australia - is finally home! She slipped out of her garage in Manurewa and vanished, leaving her family devastated. Despite daily searches, flyers, and endless hope, Lola was nowhere to be found.

“I thought we had lost her,” her owner shared. “Every time I went out, I was looking. I feared the worst with our cold nights and rain.” Thankfully, a kind stranger spotted a dog that she recognised from a post on a local Facebook community group and decided to check LostPet, where she found Lola’s LostPet listing and photo that matched up with the distinguishing features described in that post. She rang our NZCAR support office who were able to contact Lola’s family straight away about the sighting. That tip led Lola’s family straight to an all too familiar road where she had been sheltering under a house just off their own street. “I just couldn’t believe it as I had walked and driven down that street for weeks looking for her!”

The reunion was pure magic. “I saw my baby for the first time since the day she went missing… once she realised it was me and my mum, she came running and jumping.” Lola, frail but overjoyed, ran straight into her mum’s arms, tail wagging and heart full. Now back in her cosy bed with her favourite soft toy, she’s soaking up cuddles and catching up on sleep.

“We just want to thank NZCAR and our community for coming together to bring our girl home,” Lola’s family added.

You’re welcome, Lola and family! It’s stories like these that we love most!

Huge thanks to the Manurewa community, and LostPet - the key to bringing Lola home. 💖🐶

19/08/2025

Can you believe it? Neither can we!

🌸 Spring is (almost) in the air, New Zealand! Which means… longer days, muddy paws, and a few more “great escapes” as pets get adventurous. 🐾

That’s why now’s the purr-fect time to check your pet’s microchip details are up to date on the NZCAR.

👉 If your contact info has changed (new phone, new address, new last name after saying “I do”), your pet’s chip is only half the story. Without the right details, it’s like sending them out with a disconnected number on their collar tag.

So before spring mischief begins, give your pet the best safety net - a chip AND current info on the NZCAR. 🌼