A Hastings couple say instructions about dog registration on the council website should be clarified, after a misunderstanding cost them $766 to free their impounded young boxer dogs.
Tracey Ridley and Nicky Cotter bought their dogs Lennox and Roxy, who are now 9 months, last August and, after checking the rules online, thought they had until June 30 this year to register them.
But when Hastings District Council animal control officers did a routine check of their neighbourhood last week, the dogs were seized without warning.
"They just banged on the window and when my partner came out they said 'the dogs aren't registered, and we're cracking down on this'."
The council website reads:"The Dog Control Act 1996 requires all dogs to be registered if three months of age or older. All dogs must be registered by 30 June each year."
It was the last sentence which left the statement open to interpretation, Ms Ridley said.
"The way I read it, the website says we have until that date. I have talked to other people who think the same thing.
"We have owned a boxer before and it was always registered, we are not the type of people who just wouldn't pay."
The couple had to dig into their savings and borrow some money to collect their dogs from the pound.
"My partner was in an absolute state. Those dogs are treated like royalty, they are our children.
"It's a real kick in the teeth. We work ridiculous hours and we just bought a house. We didn't know we were doing anything wrong."
Every day a dog remains in the pound it incurs fees on top of the initial impounding cost. After seven days if the dog is not collected it will be re-homed or euthanised.
Ms Ridley was concerned other people might fall into the same trap she did, and asked that the council website wording be changed. She would also like the council to consider letting people off with a warning before seizing their animals.
"What if this happened to a family who love their dog very much but can't afford to pay to get them out?" she said.
Council spokesman Ross Holden said the wording on its website had been taken from Department of Internal Affairs information regarding dog registration. But after receiving the complaint the council was willing to consider a clarification.
"Council's community safety manager spoke with a member of the dog owners' family yesterday and agreed to have a look at the wording to ensure that there is no room for confusion," he said.
Issuing warnings for unregistered dogs in Hastings stopped about two years ago when the council ruled that animal control officers needed to take a firmer stance on unregistered dogs. When an unregistered dog is discovered by animal control officers it is seized and taken to the pound.
Mr Holden said enforcing the rules meant the council had seen a huge improvement in the number of registered pooches.
"Currently, over 99 per cent of the dogs on our database are registered."
From July 1 to February 29, the Hastings council had collected $60,000 in impound fees and $2630 for infringements of dog control rules.
Email: amy.shanks@hbtoday.co.nz