Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Dog Control Policy and Bylaw 2016 come into effect. Photo/File
The new Western Bay of Plenty District Council's Dog Control Policy and Bylaw for 2016 will come into effect tomorrow.
The policy and bylaw updates rules for dog welfare, neutering, dog exercise areas, dealing with dog poo and also encourages responsible dog ownership.
The intention was to achieve a balance
between meeting the needs of dog owners, and the wider community.
Compliance and monitoring manager Alison Curtis said dog safety awareness was becoming more important as more people, and subsequently dogs, moved to this district.
"Council strives to minimise the potential danger, distress and nuisance of dogs to the community generally while ensuring the adequate welfare and wellbeing of dogs. The bylaw and policy is about ensuring the right balance, acknowledging the positives of dogs in our community and ensuring a dog safe environment"
The council went out to the community this year to talk about the changes people wanted to see to dog rules and find out what was important to them.
From there a draft policy was created for formal feedback - most was generally very supportive of the proposals.
The final policy and bylaw were created and are adopted on October 14.
Some of the main things people should know are:
