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Roaming dogs: Council wants more powers to deal with problem

Animal management officers need more power to detain dogs after an attack had happened, Auckland Council has heard. File photo. Photo: 123RF Councils need more control over managing dog-related issues from the government, Auckland Council says. Several measures to tackle the problem of roaming and uncontrolled dogs in the Auckland region were proposed at the council's Regulatory and Safety Committee meeting on Tuesday. These included fencing requirements for dog owners and mandatory desexing for impounded dogs before they are returned to their owners. Licensing and compliance general manager Robert Irvine said animal management officers also needed more power to detain dogs after an attack had happened. But he said these changes could not happen without legislative change. "The council is doing everything it can to tackle this issue from multiple angles, but without legislative reform, we are always going to be limited. "The changes we are proposing make good common sense and would greatly improve our ability to protect Aucklanders from dog-related harm. They would not affect the majority of dog owners, who we know are responsible." The council's animal management unit received 16,739 reports of roaming dogs in the past year. There were 1341 reports of dog attacks on people and 1523 on other animals in that period. But Irvine said ACC claim data showed the actual number of dog attacks was much higher. "Most serious dog attacks on children happen in the family home and go unreported to the council, meaning we have no ability to investigate. "Introducing mandatory reporting would allow us to intervene and put measures in place to prevent attacks from happening again." Regulatory and Safety Committee chair Councillor Josephine Bartley said stricter rules around fencing and desexing were much needed. "Most dog owners in Auckland are responsible and do the right thing, but there is a group that just doesn't seem to care. Their actions are putting our communities at risk, particularly our tamariki." The council said it had already done targeted free desexing and registration drives, public awareness and education campaigns, and opened a new adoption and education centre in Pukekohe which had increased shelters capacity to hold dangerous dogs. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.