Roaming dogs have terrorised some Dargaville pet owners. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Roaming dogs have terrorised some Dargaville pet owners. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Two Dargaville residents whose pets were killed by wandering dogs are concerned the problem will continue if owners continue to be irresponsible.
It comes after Kaipara District Council revealed an increase in complaints over wandering dogs as well as the number of dog attacks in their2022/2023 animal management report.
The number of complaints about wandering dogs has more than doubled according to the report.
The council’s focus has been on decreasing the number of unregistered dogs in the district as 40 per cent of dogs that carry out attacks are unregistered and “poorly managed”.
That rings true for one Dargaville pet owner who posted on a Facebook community page last month extending a helping hand to the owners of two dogs they had seen on security footage roaming on their driveway at night.
They offered to help the owners ensure they were correctly restrained at night, taking what they described as a “community-minded” approach.
They received no response, and a week later, those same dogs returned, one of them killing their cat, they believe.
‘Cricket’ was found dead the next morning.
She suffered large puncture wounds which were visible on her back and chunks of her fur were also missing.
“I was devastated. She was my baby. She was a sweetheart, it gutted me,” Cricket’s owner said.
“Losing a pet to sickness or being hit by a car or a mindless accident is one thing, but losing your pet when you know she was on your property minding your business ... those dogs came onto our property and murdered my cat.”
They had “anecdotally” heard the area has been plagued by dog attacks on cats and chickens.
Cricket was four years old and killed by roaming dogs in a suburban Dargaville street.
The Advocate understands the dog responsible has been apprehended by the Kaipara District Council.
Cricket’s owner described the council as “responsive and empathetic”, but believes until recently they have been suffering from under-resourcing and “a lot of red tape”.
“You have to have really strong evidence of wrongdoing.”
“I don’t know enough about the current legislation. But I feel strongly that the owners of these dogs should not be allowed to own pets.”
Since last month’s fateful night, the pet owner said their security alarm goes off, they wonder where their other cat is. They’ve also made efforts to keep him inside.
The impact hasn’t just been felt in their home either.
“I avoid walking down the street with my kids because I don’t want dogs approaching us.”
Earlier this year, another Dargaville resident woke to find her Bantam Chickens and Pekin ducks had been attacked. Out of 15 chickens, just one survived, while two ducks were left fighting for their lives.
“It was really, really sad,” she said.
The woman filed a report to the Kaipara District Council, as she believed the dogs responsible were regularly let to roam at night by their owner.
A Dargaville woman doesn't like going out at night over fears of roaming dogs after they killed 15 of her chickens.
Since then, she’s been too scared to go outside in the evenings.
“When I saw how they ripped apart (the chicken coop) I was really scared to go out after dark.”
The council told the woman there was not enough evidence to take the animals responsible away.
The woman and her husband have installed motion censors and been given dog traps, but she is “constantly living in fear” their remaining pets will be the next victims.
While dog attacks have decreased in Whangārei, a couple were left devastated earlier this month when their sheep were attacked by dogs in Whangārei. Photo / Michael Cunningham
Kaipara District Council General manager for customer experience Hayley Worthington said the council took all dog attacks seriously.
The animal management team had been emailing, phoning, door knocking, patrolling and following up on complaints to encourage registration of dogs, she said.
The council is asking people to keep their dog contained by closing gates, and when in public have control of their dog at all times.
A total of 34 dogs were impounded through the year. Of these, 17 were returned to owners, nine were euthanised and six were rehomed.
Brodie Stone is the education and general news reporter at the Advocate. Brodie has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.
