When it comes to reuniting lost cats and dogs with their owners, Wollongong City Council's Animal Care and Impounding Services are often faced with the same problem – no microchip.
This means, when the animals come into Council's care, it can make it really difficult to reunite them with their families.
"Over the Christmas to New Year period we had 19 animals come into Council's care through our Animal Care and Impounding Service,'' Lord Mayor of Wollongong Councillor Tania Brown said.
"Sadly, only two of these pets were microchipped and only one of these had up-to-date details on their microchip, which meant we were able to quickly get that animal back with their loved ones.
"We know pets are important members of the family and we will always do our best to return pets to their owners but without being microchipped this makes it significantly more difficult.''
Council introduced its Animal Care and Impounding service in April 2024 in response to the RSPCA's move to step back from strays and lost animals to focus on their mission to prevent animal cruelty.
The program has seen a total of 625 animals pass through our care since April last year.
"Cats have outnumbered dogs as the most common pets to come through our program,'' Cr Brown said.
"We've seen some 335 cats and kittens cared for in Council's shelters and through our fostering programs as well as 290 dogs and puppies.''
Of those in Council's care domestic shorthair has been the most popular breed of cat, while dogs are often American Staffordshire Terrier cross breeds.
Cr Brown said one of the positives of Council's program has been the opportunity for people to adopt pets, should their original owners not be found.
"In the lead up to Christmas we saw a significant uptick in pet adoptions as people gave the gift of a family to dogs and cats in our care,'' she said.
"The team have told me how lovely it was to see the new owners come and pick up their new furever friends and take them home for the holidays. There were 21 cats and dogs adopted in the week leading up to Christmas Eve, and a further 12 animals placed into foster care.
"If you've made a New Year's resolution to welcome a pet into your family, I really encourage you to check out Council's website or the Wollongong Pet Connection Facebook page at the beautiful animals there in need of a home.
"And if you have a pet and they're microchipped be sure to ensure their details are correct. It's not enough to let your local vet know – the microchipping details are managed on the NSW Pet Registry and so you need to complete the paperwork through the NSW Government's portal. Council's Customer Service team can also assist.''
