If my local MP had visited during the election campaign, I would have said, “I want you to solve this problem: people dumping dog shit in plastic bags in our parks.”
Who are these sociopaths? (No, we don’t believe you’re going to “pick it up later”.) Even if they do come back for it, and most don’t, they license others to leave theirs and not come back, and soon the estuary, the beautiful park, the atmospheric and spiritual volcanic cones, are littered with bags of shit. Fellow dog lovers: if you can’t handle carrying the bag to a bin, don’t have a dog.
I used to dislike dogs. We had cats, and I loved them. And then I got my own dog, and I was besotted, just as motherhood made me understand the charm of children. Emotional engagement with any creature must expand empathy and love. As a rule, it’s the childless who complain about kids on planes (while other parents are busy empathising) and it’s the dogless who hate dogs.
Dogs are wonderful companions. They have distinct personalities and they surprise you with their intelligence. They are complex, high-maintenance animals, and a lot can go wrong. Human safety should come first. I have no sympathy with owners who blame dog bites on “children’s behaviour around the animal”.
Recently, we woke to reports that a woman had been killed by a dog that came onto her property in Moerewa. Two rescuers were also injured. The news was not only horrifying, it was depressing. I know all about the dogs of the Far North.
The sociopaths of central Auckland may be littering the landscape, but their dogs are mostly controlled, leashed and registered. In the Far North, it’s a different scene. Roaming dogs can be terrifying. They’re a problem that reflects the social deprivation of the region.
People in poverty can’t afford to pay registration fees. Many tend to own large, aggressive breeds, perhaps to use as security. These might be too dangerous and unmanageable to be walked, or their owners might be unable to do so, and the dogs live in utter misery, permanently chained up. Some guard dogs are so cruelly treated and neglected, it’s not surprising they want to kill someone when they escape.
People who struggle financially can’t afford to build fences, or to have functioning gates. They have no spare money for the vet. They don’t bother with de-sexing, which would lessen aggression and territorial behaviour. The dogs have too many puppies, which are neglected, and potentially go feral.
Wandering dogs kill sheep, and occasionally attack and injure humans. There have been reports of feral packs on walking tracks around tourist spots such as Cape Reinga, which must pose a risk to visitors and locals.
Roaming dogs are a contributing factor to an obesogenic environment. If few people walk for leisure and almost everyone drives, they’re not so aware of the hazard. Walking then becomes dangerous, and the odd, lone pedestrian has a miserable time wondering what sort of weapon will come in handy if the giant, male pit-bulls at the house on the corner are feeling carnivorous. There’s an impression that the council is too disorganised and overstretched to deal with the issue. The pandemic may have worsened the problem.
If the Far North wants safety for locals and tourists, it needs to deal with the dogs. There should be stronger regulation and enforcement, and an effort within communities to seek answers, and to do better. Government policies that increase poverty are not going to help. The best solution must be to deal with the real source of the problem, by alleviating severe social deprivation.
