Hastings District Council regulatory solutions manager John Payne said roaming by dogs enhances aggression and antisocial behaviour, promoting natural canine characteristics like attacking domestic pets such as cats.
Payne said there has been a rise in Facebook complaints yet there had been a significant reduction in complaints to council's animal control over the last four years.
"The community needs to report these incidents to animal control rather than Facebook," he said.
Roaming dogs need to be reported as they become territorial, spread disease to household pets and cause traffic issues, indiscriminate breeding and unwanted litters.
Payne said the council and animal control don't believe there is any such thing as strays in the Hastings district, as all the dogs out on the streets belong to someone.
In February of this year a roaming dog caused Flaxmere local Tea Ratima-Halcrow and her family some heartache, worry, and a hefty vet bill.
Ratima-Halcrow's puppy Queenie was 6 months old and in her first heat, when a roaming dog jumped the family's 2-metre high fence three nights in a row and eventually got the young pup pregnant.
The family was waiting until Queenie was a few months older before getting her spayed and thought she would be safe as the gates were kept shut and they had covered any small gaps in their fence.
Ratima-Halcrow and her husband decided to get Queenie spayed while she was pregnant as they did not want her to have puppies.
Keeping the puppies and rehoming them wasn't an option.
"Keeping them would come with extra stress on our pup and on ourselves as my husband and I both work fulltime and the puppies wouldn't get the attention and care that they would need," Ratima-Halcrow said.
"There were 10 puppy foetuses and it wasn't nice having to get them euthanised, but I feel it would've been hard to find 10 good homes for them," she said.
It cost the family $670 in vet bills for an ultrasound, the procedure and medication for Queenie.
"It's really horrible seeing these dogs roam around; when they first started coming on our property, they kept eating our dogs' kai, " she said.
"The worst part is explaining to my young kids why we can't keep all the stray dogs."
Ratima-Halcrow also worries about tamariki because the dogs intimidate hem by barking and not letting them pass while walking to school.
A council spokesperson has said parents are encouraged to report roaming dogs following and intimidating school children to animal control.
Animal control staff will attend if the matter is reported immediately, or they will investigate if the matter is reported historically.
"It comes down to people not spaying their animals and, when they get pregnant, letting them give birth without being able to look after them," said Ratima-Halcrow.
"It is sad for the animal and the community that has to put up with them."
