Animal rescuers slam culture of chaining dogs in Northland as new regulations announced

Bay of Islands Animal Rescue founder Summer Johnson says dogs are neglected in Northland and many are attached to chains their whole lives.

Northland animal rescuers have slammed an “ugly” culture where dogs spend their lives chained or confined to kennels in grisly conditions.

Minister for Agriculture Andrew Hoggard announced the prolonged tethering of dogs would be banned.

From September 25, dogs cannot be tethered by a rope, line or chain attached to a fixed point for extended periods. Inspectors will be able to issue infringements ranging between $300 and $500.

The SPCA said the regulations filled the gap between the Animal Welfare Act 1999 and codes of welfare. It sent a “loud message” that long-term chaining was unacceptable.

Those working in Northland’s animal rescue space say the changes are merely a step in the right direction, and more action is needed.

Summer Johnson of the Bay of Islands Animal Rescue believes existing laws aren’t policed strictly enough.

The situation in Northland was so bad, she said, she felt like she was “banging [her] head against a brick wall every day”.

“Up here, dogs are possessions, property – they’re not family. Some people have four to five dogs chained all around the property,” Johnson said.

She said tethered dogs often became either aggressive or despondent. They suffered wounds, overgrown nails from not being walked and pressure sores.

“I’ve been to a property that you could literally pick the water out of the bucket because it was just full of slime.”

Injuries are common for dogs who spend their lives chained, such as this one which had to be treated after the chain became embedded in its neck.

Johnson described one occasion where she was called to assist a female dog who had recently given birth.

“There was a chain around her neck to the tree that could literally tow the Titanic,” she said.

“As I approached the dog to worm and flea her, she came out, and three dead puppies rolled out with the chain.”

Johnson said smaller towns in the mid and Far North were particularly bad for chaining dogs.

Dogs spending their lives on chains end up with injuries from their collars, as well as calloused joints, and have aggressive or despondent tendencies.

She believed dogs living in those conditions were ticking time bombs.

“It’s going to drag its chain on to the street, and a roaming dog or a child is at potential threat,” she said.

It wasn’t just chains either – some dogs were in kennels boarded up, with no daylight.

“That dog is bouncing at that door all day long. One day, those hinges and screws will break, and that dog’s going to launch out.

“You’ve got a tragedy waiting to happen.”

Short chains and damp kennels are just a few of the realities dogs in Northland are facing.

SPCA scientific officer Dr Alison Vaughan said the SPCA had been advocating for prolonged tethering to be addressed since 2016.

They continued to advocate for stronger protections, such as addressing the prolonged confinement of dogs.

Vaughan said the SPCA’s resources were sometimes constrained because of limited funding.

Inspectors in Northland regularly attended cases of prolonged tethering and were often met with abuse, she said. They had limited powers to act until the ban kicked in.

Pushing dog safety education in every school nationwide was pointed out in policy recommendations.

Vaughan believed the Government needed to hear from those on the ground about how bad the situation was.

Bay of Islands’ Watchdogs co-ordinator Leonie Exel said the people chaining dogs ranged from hoarders to those with too many dogs.

She hoped the new legislation would give police, the SPCA and councils more capacity to ensure dogs had access to basic freedoms.

“[But] we need New Zealand Governments of any political stripe to genuinely fund the policing of animal abuse.”

Exel believed a good place to start was better dog safety education in the community, or pilot courses and studies.

“I think we could do something amazing.”

Exel wanted to see a team approach to the issue with SPCA, police and Corrections involved.

Hoggard said prolonged confinement and tethering of dogs was the most common area investigated by the SPCA.

He said the Government had worked with the SPCA, farming organisations and other stakeholders to make sure the rules were workable and effective.

Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.