Council urges dog supervision

Mr Lewer said it was important that dogs got the exercise they needed, but it was equally important to ensure they were doing this under supervision and in the appropriate place.

Dog owners in the Whakatane district are being urged to take their dogs for a walk, rather than leaving them to their own devices.

Whakatane District Council manager community regulation, Graeme Lewer, said dog owners had a responsibility to exercise their dogs under supervision, so allowing them to leave their property and exercise themselves was often a dangerous approach.

"Dogs might be on the doorstep in the morning, but in the meantime, they've often been out fighting, mating, attacking stock or helping themselves to the contents of rubbish bins, which all have negative consequences," he said.

"It's not hard to take your dog for a walk or a run around - it's simply what comes with being a responsible dog owner."

Mr Lewer said it was important that dogs got the exercise they needed, but it was equally important to ensure they were doing this under supervision and in the appropriate place.

All Access. All in one subscription. From $2 per week

Subscribe now

All Access Weekly

From $2 per week

Pay just

$15.75

$2

per week ongoing

Subscribe now

BEST VALUE

All Access Annual

Pay just

$449

$49

per year ongoing

Subscribe now

Learn more

30

"There are a number of dog exercise areas throughout the district where residents can take their dogs off the lead and let them have a run around," he said. Areas where roaming dogs are a problem will be targeted over the coming weeks, with increased night patrols undertaken by a contracted security firm.

Dogs found roaming will be followed home and the owner issued with a warning, or dogs will be impounded. Any subsequent breaches of these warnings will be dealt with through the issuing of infringements to the offending dog owner.

"We'd really like to avoid going down that path altogether, and hope that dog owners will just start taking a bit more care," Mr Lewer said. The council is also reminding dog owners about the need to ensure they are up-to-date with their registrations.

"It's much cheaper in the long run to pay the registration fee than to pay a $300 fine for an unregistered dog," Mr Lewer said. "We also offer a $15 microchipping service, which is heavily discounted and worth taking advantage of."

-Information on dog registration, responsible ownership and maps of dog exercise areas is available at www.whakatane.govt.nz, or by contacting the council on (07) 306 0500.