The City of Portage la Prairie is encouraging pet owners to keep up-to-date with yearly registration for cats and dogs.

Pet licenses are required annually and expire on December 31. The process is free if animals are registered during the first three months of the year, and if registered after March 31, the cost for a spayed or neutered dog or cat is $25, while the cost for a non-spayed or intact dog or cat is $60 - all that is required is proof of a current rabies vaccine. The penalty for failing to obtain a valid pet license is $100.

City councillor Melissa Draycott says that pets registered with the city are much more likely to be returned to their owner than those that are unregistered, should they happen to go missing.

"Any lost pet that's wearing a tag obtained through our licensing in the city is almost always reunited with their owner when they're found," she says. "It is in your best interest to license your pet with the City of Portage la Prairie, just in case they sneak out."

Draycott says they have been noticing issues when it comes to roaming animals - something that isn't permitted under Portage's animal control bylaw.

"Your animal is not allowed to run at large in Portage la Prairie, and there's a reason for that," she adds. "When you let your animal roam, whether it's your cat or your dog, you just place them at risk and we don't want to see that. We do actually have many cats that are found deceased on, or adjacent to, any of our roadways in the city of Portage la Prairie each year, and we hate to see that happening."

This means that dogs and cats are required to be on a leash when outside of the property - and pet owners that fail to comply could be dinged with an $130 fine for a first offence.

"We do want to ensure that everybody keeps their animals safe and in their own yard, either restrained with a fence... just to ensure that they're not becoming a nuisance in your neighbourhood and that we don't have an overpopulation of animals running at large in the city," she says.

Council also recently amended the number of pets residents are permitted to own within the City of Portage. Pet owners can have up to four cats or dogs, or a combination of the two, older than six months under the latest bylaw change.