Dog owners have just one more month to register their dogs for the 2015/2016 year before incurring a penalty cost.

In Tauranga and the Western Bay of Plenty all dogs are to be registered each year from July 1 to June 30 the following year. Any dog over the age of three months must be registered.

Western Bay of Plenty District Council animal services officer Melissa Murton with Mack. Photo: Tracy Hardy.

From now until August 1, people will pay $78 to register their dogs under Tauranga City Council. This fee will rise to $109 after August 1. Classified dangerous dogs pay $117 and $162 respectively.

In the Western Bay of Plenty District Council area, the current registration fee is $77, but this is set to rise to $155 if dogs are registered after August 1.

TCC animal services team leader Brent Lincoln says as council's dog register shows 2995 dogs registered – 900 more than the same time last year – and 8503 outstanding.

Despite the large number of outstanding unregistered dogs, Brent is not too worried at this stage considering it 'early days” in the registration phase.

It's important for dog owners to note that unless your dog has a yellow 2015/16 tag it's now unregistered, says Brent.

Council will continue offering the discounted registration fee up to July 31, after which time the penalty fee applies.

At the end of the 2014/15 registration year Council had 11208 registered dogs – a 6.2 per cent increase on the previous year.

There were a further 284 dogs council knew about which weren't registered, seeing every owner visited and issued with a $300 infringement.

WBOP's compliance and monitoring manager Alison Curtis says heading into this registration period, council has 2344 dogs already registered – a number set to rise rapidly.

'Registrations are coming in thick and fast every day – so we are very much on track. There is always a rush at the end, as dog owners know they have until 31 July to register,” says Alison.

Last year saw 8315 dogs registered and just 75 unregistered on council's radar, thanks to a big push from the animal services team last month.

Council has a total of 8390 dogs on its radar with 5762 dog owners on its system, 1741 of which have already registered for this period.

Alison reiterates Brent's comments that dog owners must ensure their dog is wearing a yellow tag come July 31. Every dog owner who has previously registered with council will have received their reminder.

Each dog must be registered at the address where they spend most of their time. If someone is under 16 years of age and own a dog, it must be registered under the name of a parent or guardian.

If your dog was registered with council last year, registration forms will be mailed in June. Dog owners are to advise council if their address changes or you do not receive the form.

Both councils have a dog registration online service. Here dog owners can apply to register a new dog, renew and pay for annual dog re-registration, update owner or dog details, advise if a dog has died or request a replacement tag.

If a person is unsure about how to register their dog or for more information contact TCC on 07 577 7000 or WBOPDC on 07 571 8008.