Dog Consultation

Hutt City Council is calling for submissions on proposed amendments to its Dog Control Policy and Part 4 Hutt City Council Bylaw.

The amendments are intended to balance the right of the public to enjoy popular leisure areas in the absence of dogs, with the needs of dog owners to have designated areas to exercise their pets.

Tanya Winter, Acting Manager of Inspections and Enforcement promotes the amendments as a win-win solution to concerns expressed by the public about dogs in leisure areas.

"Council is trying to satisfy the needs of a variety of users, and to achieve this some separation is required between dogs and their owners and the general public.

"We are not trying to take people's rights away. We are merely defining the areas for different activities. Dog owners must accept though, that given the recent national publicity around dog attacks the community has some concerns about safety. "

The submission period began on 13 September and there have already been over 200 submissions to Council.

"This issue is near and dear to both dog owners and non-dog owners' hearts, and we expected a high level of public interest."

Submissions close on Monday 13 October at 5.00pm.

Copies of the proposal documents including submission forms can be obtained from the Councils Customer Service Centre, at libraries and service centres, by calling Council on 570-6666, or on Council's website www.huttcity.info.

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