A Hobsons Bay council initiative will mean lost pets that are registered and microchipped can be reunited directly with their owners instead of being impounded at the Lost Dogs Home in North Melbourne.
Previously, the council sent animals to the dogs’ home, where about 63 per cent of cats and seven per cent of dogs handed in from Hobsons Bay were euthanased.
The council’s latest initiative means at least 10 dogs a month are returned straight to their owners.
It took just 15 minutes for Williamstown’s Sam Visser to be reunited with dogs Pippa and Minnie after a neighbour accidentally let them out.
“Both our dogs are microchipped, so I got a call to say that they’d found them on Melbourne Road,” she said.
Mayor Peter Hemphill urged people to register and microchip their pets.
Ninety-four per cent of cats and 39 per cent of dogs picked up by rangers in Hobsons Bay are unregistered.
The council is conducting doorknocks to check for unregistered animals and plans a cat microchipping and desexing day later this year.
Call 99321000 or go to hobsonsbay.vic.gov.au/community/animals.
Maribyrnong council also reunites pets with their owners if the pet is registered.
