Editorial: Dog issue given right treatment

Jessica Maxwell from Watchdog

It is not often that appointments of council managers are met with approval by even the harshest critics.

That is why the decision by the Hastings District Council's to appoint John Payne as the new permanent manager of the council's Animal Management Centre is a good move.

Dog control in Hastings has always been a contentious issue, with accusations of heavy-handedness being levelled at officers in the past.

The matter reached a head after fierce criticism by local lobby group Watchdog, headed by Jessica Maxwell.

Credit to Mayor Lawrence Yule and his council for last year bringing in Mr Payne, a dog control expert of vast experience, to report on the state of the pound and prepare an improvement plan.

The fact that Ms Maxwell came out yesterday and said the right man had been appointed to the job, speaks volumes.

It shows that Mr Payne has succeeded in coming up with a workable plan.

Mr Yule is the first to admit that there were culture issues in the dog control department and that Mr Payne shifted the strategy from animal control to animal welfare.

Dogs are always going to be an issue that local councils have to deal with. It is always going to be tricky because they are man's best friend.

There are always going to be dogs, that for whatever reason, need to be taken to the pound, but it all comes down to fairness.

The little old lady's pet poodle who goes out on to the front berm to sniff the grass for a moment does not need to be pounced upon and taken to the pound. However, the dogs who attacked two women at Whirinaki certainly deserved to be taken away.

It is all about getting the balance right and Mr Payne seems to have done that.