'It's not the first time people's dogs have disappeared'

Former SPCA inspector Andy Saunders is critical of the district council’s history of animal control. Picture by Liam Clayton

A former SPCA inspector has painted a grim picture of Gisborne District Council’s animal control arm in the wake of it putting a dog down in error last month.

On September 22, the council euthanised family pet Sarge by mistake on the same day staff claimed to have found him wandering on the street.

The killing prompted an outpouring of anger from the community, causing the council to launch an independent investigation into the events surrounding the animal’s death.

Andy Saunders worked as an inspector for Gisborne SPCA in two stints totalling three years between 2014 and 2019, and said multiple mistakes were made by the council during that time.

Events similar to what befell Sarge had happened before, he said, with a lack of adherence to the Dog Control Act a clear issue.

“It’s not the first time people’s dogs have disappeared, taken like that in this manner.

“Killing someone’s dog is a pretty major thing.  It’s not the first time, it won’t be the last.”

Mr Saunders said animals had previously been shot by control officers under houses, on riverbanks and up Kaiti Hill. In some cases, minimal effort was made to find out who the owners were.

He also said officers had a habit of not involving the SPCA when they should.

There had also been a situation where dead animals were moved by the time he got there, which constituted evidence tampering and affected the SPCA’s ability to prosecute.

“Council need to stop ignoring what’s going on, and what’s been going on.”

Council chief executive Nedine Thatcher Swann has categorically denied Mr Saunders’ claims, labelling them “false, misleading and unsubstantiated allegations”.

But animal control team lead Ross Hannam has previously admitted the relationship between the council and SPCA isn’t as strong as it could be.

At a June 2022 meeting, Mr Hannam was questioned why no dogs had been picked up by the SPCA, and was questioned what the council’s relationship with the organisation looked like.

Mr Hannam said the relationship was “not great”, but the council had a good relationship with the inspector.

He did not provide a direct response to a question about how long the 202 dogs euthanised over a one-year period had been held at the pound before being killed.

Sarge’s death last month has also raised concerns over the pound’s method of killing animals, with the council confirming a bolt gun was used.

Sarge’s owners have called for an end to the controversial method — which is opposed by the SPCA — and Saunders agrees animals should be taken to a third party to be euthanised humanely.

The council has been asked twice if it will stop using the controversial method, but will not say.

On Friday, a joint statement issued by the council and Sarge’s owners said the issue of the dog’s death had been settled between both parties.

The animal control officer responsible for the mistake resigned last week, apologising to both the family and community for what happened.