The Lost Dogs’ Home recently launched its own pet licencing program: Pet Licence. This online quiz is designed to educate potential pet owners and has been overwhelmingly well received by members of the public, dog trainers and pet owners.
New owners such as Dave and Cath Morrison featured in the Herald Sun said that “Pet Licences issued by The Lost Dogs’ Home should be made mandatory across Australia”. The couple said “they were surprised to learn things after taking the test, despite having had previous pets.”
The Lost Dogs’ Home is also offering discounted adoption fees for people who complete the online test and present the completion certificate at it’s North Melbourne Shelter reception. Dog and puppy fees will be reduced by $30 and cat and kitten fees by $15 – a substantial saving just for putting yourself in the know.
“The discount to be offered to potential owners is aimed at encouraging them to take the test before they adopt a pet from us. This way, they will acquire at least the basic knowledge required to own a pet responsibly. It ensures our pets are going to homes with well informed owners,” said Dr Graeme Smith, the Home’s Director of 23 years.
“I anticipate reduced return rates and surrenders, and an increase in areas such as pet identification and desexing”.
After its launch and subsequent media coverage in the Herald Sun, Pet Licence received a great deal of interest from members of the public. 1813 people took the online test in the first two days.
Now almost 3,000 people have taken the online test with only 656 people passing on their first try, demonstrating the need to educate new pet owners.
The most common questions answered incorrectly were whether puppies can be desexed, whether a new dog needs to be microchipped before being registered with the local Council, the average cost of keeping a dog at boarding kennels for a week and how often an owner needs to bath their dog.
The Morrisons were also surprised to learn what the average cost is of owning a dog: “having it pointed out the total costs of an animal is $10,000 to $15,000 for the term of its life, spelled out the real responsibility you have in terms of food, veterinary treatment, bedding and other incidentals”.
Owners are provided with a handbook and hints to assist them to successfully pass the test. Users can have as many attempts as they like as the quiz is designed to educate, not exclude.
Several Victorian dog breeders have applauded the Home’s initiative and will be using the test to screen and educate potential owners seeking their puppies.
“I think all people concerned with the sale of puppies and dogs should be using some form of screening method for new pet owners. Pounds, shelters and rescue centres deal with many problems daily. We should all try and fix the problem. The testing and strict screening of new pet owners would help reduce the amount of neglected animals,” said breeder Jo.
Owning a dog or cat can be a great joy, the Morrison family is enjoying having Ollie in their lives after adopting him from The Lost Dogs’ Home. They tell us that Ollie and their children “like nothing better than getting in the backyard together and playing ball”.
However owning a cat or a dog comes with a lot of responsibility and we hope that the Home’s Pet Licence online test will go a long way in educating people what their responsibilities are as pet owners.
Are you a responsible pet owner? Take the online Pet Licence test today.
