RESPONDING to reports of barking and wandering dogs around the Wairoa district, attacks on people, and putting roaming stock off the road is all in a day’s work for Council’s animal control team.

This is but a very small part of the day-to-day operations of Council’s animal control officers, who want remind animal owners of their (owners’) responsibilities.

A string of serious dog attacks, inquiries to Council animal control officers and other incidents throughout the district over the past few months have prompted this reminder.

Chief Operations Officer Helen Montgomery says being an Animal Control Officer in the Wairoa district is a difficult job on occasions.

However, she says it can also be an extremely rewarding job when reuniting a family dog with their owners or assisting a dog owner in resolving an issue with their beloved pet.

“Simply complying with the Dog Control Act (DCA) 1996 and the Wairoa District Council Bylaws goes a long way in being a responsible dog owner,” Ms Montgomery says.

Ms Montgomery wanted to respond to questions around what dog registration paid for.

“The registration covers, an on call service, there is always an animal control officer on call 24/7 to respond to dog attacks on people and other dogs, attacks on stock and wild life, to collect wandering dogs and dogs creating a nuisance, and to investigate barking dog complaints.” she says.

“The registration also covers the daily maintenance and cleaning of the dog pound, notifying known dog owners if their dog has been impounded, property inspections in order to keep an up to date record of dogs within the Wairoa district, and maintenance of the districts input into the national dog database to name a few things registration fees are used for.”

If you have any queries or questions relating to dog matters simply give the team a call on 06 838-7309.

Obligations of a dog owner

The obligations of a dog owner are defined as follows:

• To ensure that the dog is registered in accordance with the Dog Control Act 1996 and that all relevant territorial authorities are promptly notified of any change of address or ownership
• To ensure that the dog is kept under control at all times
• To ensure that the dog receives proper care and attention and is supplied with proper and sufficient food, water and shelter
• To take all reasonable steps to ensure that the dog does not damage, or endanger any property belonging to any other person
• To comply with the requirements of the Dog Control Act 1996, and all regulations and Bylaws made under this act.

31 October 2018

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