Dog tax raffle to encourage owners to get licence
DOG owners in St Peter Port are being offered an added incentive to get their pet’s new licence, with a £50 pet shop voucher on offer.
Anyone in the parish who buys a dog licence before 31 January will be entered into a draw to win the prize, which can be redeemed at Creature Comforts.
The raffle idea was dreamed up by parish constables Zoe Lihou and Ben Nicholls and Mrs Lihou said she hoped it would encourage more people to get their pets licensed.
During 2021, 910 licences were issued, but she said a lot of dogs remained unlicensed in the parish.
In a big change to the system this year, owners will not be sent a numbered plastic disc to attach to their dog’s collar. ‘We’re doing away with the disc,’ said Mrs Lihou. ‘The downside is that people who liked asking for a specific number will lose out.’
Thanks to new software being used everyone who had a licence last year will be sent a reminder and once they have paid, they will be issued with the new licence paperwork, which is all that they will need.
Owners are being urged not to pay using cheques, said Mrs Lihou, since there will be a £2.50 surcharge as a result of bank charges being imposed.
The changes and the competition are all part of Mrs Lihou and fellow constable Ben Nicholls’ modifications they are hoping to introduce to parish administration. ‘We’re really trying to up our game and make things less clunky,’ she said.
n For more information about St Peter Port dog licences, email constables@stpeterport.gg.
