DOG REGO RENEWAL ISSUED FOR DEAD PET
MEMORIES are all that Wes Pope’s has of his beloved cavalier king charles spaniel Braxton.
But that didn’t stop him being issued with an overdue registration notice.
And it isn’t the first time the Gold Coast City Council had caused him grief over his pet, Mr Pope said.
In 2015 Mr Pope paid $117 for Braxton to be registered for three years.
Braxton died just a year later aged 14, leaving almost two years of paid registration that was no longer needed.
“You could take one or three years and I took three because I was optimistic he’d live that long,” he said.
Mr Pope said he notified the council of the death and asked for a refund on the remaining registration.
“They basically said no, no refund and it’s just bad luck,” he said.
Last month Mr Pope was sent an overdue animal registration renewal notice for Braxton.
“I had a long day at work and to come home and find that in the mail was very upsetting,” he said.
“That dog meant everything to me.”
Mr Pope said the council had apologised.
“I rang the council and they said it was an oversight ... but it was still very upsetting,” he said.
“They definitely should be better at record keeping. I wonder who else has got notices for dead animals – I can’t be the only one.
“Everyone loves their animals so it would be really upsetting for anyone.”
A council spokesperson said they had no record of Mr Pope contacting them in 2016 but would offer him a refund with proof of the death.
“We are sorry to hear of the dog’s passing,” he said.
“The city has no record of that dog’s owner contacting us in 2016 to advise his pet had died. Therefore, we have automatically issued a renewal notice. Our policy is that if an animal dies, we will refund the remaining funds but we need owners to make contact with the council and complete supporting paperwork.’’