Blitz launched on lawless dog owners

Auckland City today announced it will launch a special month-long blitz on lawless dog owners – in a bid to get every dog under control in public places.

Auckland City Council already patrols every reserve once a day and every beach three times a day during summer.

The city will now also:

Suspend its policy of issuing warnings to owners whose dogs are found off their leashes in public places and instead Impose instant $200 fines Step up dog patrolling in reserves by nearly 25%.

The owners of all the city’s 18,000 registered dogs will receive a letter in the next few days seeking their co-operation in the bid to ensure dogs are controlled and safety is improved for fellow citizens.

Auckland City Council’s manager of compliance, Mr Barry Smedts, said today the public was calling for greater enforcement in the wake of the horrific attack on a seven year-old girl at Cox’s reserve last Friday.

Mr Smedts said the city’s 9 dog patrols were on average catching 48 people a week whose dogs weren’t on leashes in public places where leashes were compulsory. The council’s animal control contractor had reported some 1243 of these “dog at large” incidents in the six months to 31 December.

“I think the public, parents and law abiding dog owners have had enough of a minority flouting the law and in some cases, like Friday’s, causing horrific suffering. I think every responsible dog owner will support these extra measures,” Mr Smedts said.

Animal Control Services Ltd, the city’s contracted dog control company, would boost the number of patrolling officers for Auckland City from 9 to 11. The extra patrolling and instant fines for owners of dogs found at large would start from tomorrow.

© Scoop Media