More public reporting sees fewer roaming dogs

Ōpōtiki District Council’s Planning and Regulatory Group Manager, Gerard McCormack said that a recent increase in public reports of roaming dogs meant more dogs had been impounded.

“Over the last couple of weeks, we have had a lot more reports of roaming dogs from the public and our animal control team have been out and about, able to catch and impound those dogs fairly quickly. It has already started to make a difference and there are fewer serial roamers on the streets,” Mr McCormack said.

The new pound is currently housing more dogs than it has since it opened in 2021. When a roaming dog is picked up by animal control staff, the dog must be registered and microchipped before it is returned to its owner.

“While the impoundment fees are a strong incentive for owners to make sure their dogs don’t roam, I actually think it is the increased reporting that is sending a really clear message from the community that unattended dogs wandering the streets are absolutely not acceptable. I’d like to see this reporting continue.

“While our staff do patrol, they can’t be everywhere all the time, so we rely on reports from the public. Antenno is a great way to do this quickly and with photos, time, date and location stamped.

“I think maybe the terrible break in by a roaming dog at OSCA marked a turning point and the community is just not accepting it anymore. If you have a dog, then you have a responsibility to care for it, feed it, exercise and house it. That responsibility means ensuring the dog isn’t roaming the streets. That is part and parcel of the cost of dog ownership,” Mr McCormack said.

Find out more about the Antenno app, dog rules and impoundment fees on this site.