Animal welfare advocate Donna Badorek was amazed at how well residents of Mumbai and Sri Lanka treat their dogs.
A well-known Northland animal welfare advocate has renewed calls for mandatory dog desexing in the Far North after an eye-opening trip abroad.
Donna Badorek, who runs Donna Doolittle’s Animal Rescue, was on a bucket list holiday to Sri Lanka and India with her mum, Jacqueline, this month.
During the 12-day trip, she was particularly impressed with how well the street dogs were treated.
“It was a massive eye-opener,” she said.
“When I first saw these dogs, I was so upset, but when I got to talk to the locals and read the laws in place, I thought, ‘that’s so fabulous’.
“I thought of developing countries as having poor animal welfare, and I went there and thought, ‘New Zealand could learn something from this’.”
Badorek said she was pleasantly surprised by the laws around street dogs in Mumbai, where harming them is a punishable offence, and where populations are controlled by sterilisation mandates rather than culling them.
She was also struck by how residents treated animals with kindness and respect.
“When I first saw all these street dogs on the side of road, I thought ‘I’m going to hate this’.
“Until I started talking to people about how street dogs are looked after.
“Basically, the whole community looks after them.
“They make sure they’re fed; there’s a charity that makes sure they get desexed – and most were desexed.
“I didn’t see one dog in Mumbai that had an ounce of aggression.
“They were friendly and laid back, and people looked out for them.”
Badorek featured in a recent Paddy Gower Has Issues show that highlighted the growing problem of stray and roaming dogs in Northland and Auckland, which are attacking people, pets, and livestock.
She said Northland was “in crisis” and more education about responsible dog ownership was needed.
“A lot of people up here lack understanding about the respect you should have for dogs.
“They’re not something you throw in your backyard on a chain.
“That’s what’s lacking ... there’s no consequence for people that ill-treat animals.
“There’s people that reoffend up here all the time and get away with it.
“The people in Mumbai and Sri Lanka know if they hurt and mistreat these dogs, there are serious consequences for that.”
Badorek also implored the Far North District Council [FNDC] and Government to introduce mandatory desexing.
“The only way we’re going to reduce the continuous overpopulation of these animals ... is by saying enough is enough.
“You do not need to breed these animals, unless you’re a registered breeder.”
FNDC has faced criticism for its high euthanasia rates for impounded dogs.
The rates are influenced by the number of aggressive and untrainable dogs, often resulting from neglectful owners, because they can’t be rehomed.
Earlier this year, the Northern Advocate reported that a rise in dog ownership, roaming dogs, and dog attacks has resulted in a greater risk to public safety in the Far North.
The findings were revealed in a report reviewing the FNDC’s animal management practices.
Far North Mayor Moko Tepania, who was also interviewed on Gower’s show, acknowledged that roaming, aggressive dogs were a “very real issue for our people”.
Tepania said he was in favour of mandatory desexing, provided it was supported by the community.
The council would “explore options” when its dog control bylaw was up for renewal early next year, he said.
Tepania said the council would also work in partnership with the Auckland Council on the issue of mandatory desexing.
However, FNDC would not lead the way, because it would be too costly, he said.
“We’re going to take the lead from bigger councils than us in this space.”
The current Dog Control Act 1996 needed legislation to enable changes to council bylaws, Tepania said.
“It’s 30 years old and needs to state that councils can introduce mandatory desexing within their bylaws, and desex animals picked by animal management as part of a population control measure.”
Jenny Ling is a senior journalist at the Northern Advocate. She has a special interest in covering human interest stories, along with finance, roading, and social issues.