Housing regulations have hit the canine world.
Tauranga City Council now has discretionary power to force a dog owner to move their pet's kennel if it falls within 2m of the property boundary and the dog is causing a problem.
The council yesterday adopted its new wide-ranging dog control bylaw after hearing
submissions on a draft version passed in August.
The Dog Control Amendment Act 2003 - prompted by the vicious attack which put Auckland girl Carolina Anderson in hospital last year - has made it compulsory for councils to adopt individual dog control policies.
Several issues with the bylaw's wording were smoothed out - but the kennel location clause raised a few hackles .
The original wording said no dog owner was allowed a kennel or "place of confinement" closer than 2m to the land boundary.
However, Shane Panettiere, Tauranga Customs detector dog unit team leader, questioned the provision, when there was no statutory requirement for fencing.
"Having a dog kennelled on a property with no outer or boundary fence, nullifies the reason for having them 2m from it," he said in his submission.
He said decreasing section sizes would make it physically impossible for some dog owners to comply with the regulation.
"With today's smaller-sized sections, they're becoming Auckland-sized, you would be lucky to find a spare 2m on your land."
Several councillors agreed the wording was not appropriate.
Tauranga Mayor Stuart Crosby suggested changing the wording allowing a kennel within 2m but giving the council the power to move it.
The issue was passed - and debate turned to the passing of a different sort of motion.
Councillor Greg Brownless raised the issue of faeces' consistency when owners were expected to remove "all traces" of the excrement.
He questioned removing "all traces" of the more "splattery" droppings.
"If we make it too hard to get rid of, the problem is going to increase `excrementally'," he said, to raucous laughter from his colleagues.
Needless to say, it remains that dog owners must remove "all traces" of faeces on land not belonging to them and dispose of it in an hygienic and environmentally acceptable manner.
