Roaming dogs are a persistent issue, the FNDC said, with 1087 roaming dog reports and 396 impounded animals last year. Photo / 123RF
The district’s dog issue is set to be under the spotlight at today’s Far North District Council meeting, days after pet sheep were killed and others injured in a brutal attack on a rural Far North property.
Two sheep died (one required being shot as injuries were so extensive) and five others were injured when two roaming dogs entered a property in Kawakawa, maiming and killing the pet sheep.
FNDC delivery and operations group manager Hilary Sumpter acknowledged roaming dogs, and stray dogs remain a persistence issue in the district. Last financial year, the council received 1087 reports of stray dogs, resulting in 396 impoundments.
For the owner, who asked not to be named, the numbers don’t reflect the fear and trauma left behind.
“I don’t feel comfortable leaving the property ... You just go over scenarios over and over in your head and you have flashbacks of the dying sheep and things like that. It’s just really traumatising.”
The attack happened metres from her backdoor and she now worries about leaving her elderly mother-in-law, who is recovering from a broken hip, at home alone.
“We have done everything we can. The gates are shut we have electric fencing. There is nothing more we can do.”
She believes roaming dogs should be picked up immediately.
“Send a van around and collect every roaming dog, no questions asked. There shouldn’t be roaming, unregistered dogs wandering around. It’s too risky.”
Still shaken by the attack, the woman said she will be tuning into the meeting to hear the council talk on the issue, where a resident’s petition on roaming dogs will be heard and the annual dog control report presented.
Summer Johnson, of Bay of Islands Animal Rescue, who assisted the family after the attack, said meaningful change required stricter enforcement of chaining laws, mandatory desexing and prosecution of owners who breach the rules.
“The council’s numbers don’t show the full picture. They don’t include the dogs community groups are dealing with, if they did, you’d see the full scale of the crisis.”
Johnson also called for the reinstatement of the council’s “Is This Your Dog?” Facebook page, lowering of euthanasia rates and the removal of the $150 surrender fee.
“New Zealand has a huge dog problem and in Northland it’s out of control. The Dog Control Act needs to be enforced to the letter and irresponsible owners need to be held accountable.”
Sumpter said the FNDC has and continues to lobby for changes to the Dog Control Act, and the Policy and Bylaws team will be reviewing both the current Dog Management Policy and Bylaw, she said.
“Initial work on the review has already started. This process is likely to take 18 months or more and will involve extensive engagement and consultation with the public.
“We want to provide our staff with more effective tools so they can better enforce both the act and local dog control bylaws. We also want to see financial barriers to getting dogs desexed reduced and penalties for not desexing dogs.
“Operationally, we are constantly looking at opportunities to provide a better service to our community. We have improved our reporting on roaming dog complaints, so we can target repeat complaint areas and ensure we are in the right places at the right time.”
In 2024, FNDC sought an independent review of its Animal Management practices and procedures to ensure it is performing to the best of its ability and to identify opportunities for increasing efficiency and protecting the safety of the community and staff.
“That audit found that overall, the council is performing well, especially considering its limited resources. It noted issues of affordability, lack of knowledge about responsible dog ownership, a large number of ‘backyard breeders’ [which increase the availability of dogs, often given away for free], people owning ‘guard dogs’, and the large size of the district with areas having limited phone reception.”
Stepping up enforcement, actively following up on lapsed registration and improving reporting on roaming dog complaints, “so we can target repeat complaint hot spots and ensure we are in the right places at the right time”.