2 Sept 2022: animal control, reserves proposal decision
Media: Rotorua Daily Post
Topic: Animal Control services
Enquiry
I have spoken to a Rotorua resident who had concerns about the Animal Control Unit with experiences lately.
She has said she called between 6-8 times in the last four months for four big dogs that have roamed the street and her property in Ōwhata, Pohutukawa Drv, between 8.30pm and 4am every night.
She said attempts to call council about it have led-nowhere:
She said she provided council with the address and had a couple times received a call in the days afterwards. A staff member had told her they do not go out at night or past 4.30pm.
She said staff did not follow up until daylight, by which point the dogs could not be found as she believes they are locked away out of sight.
She had provided them with the address the dogs came from, but staff were unable to find the dogs and there were multiple properties at the address.
She says she believes unless they attack someone or kill a cat, no-one will come out when she calls.
She said the owners, who are gang members, did not believe there were any consequences for letting the dogs loose.
She said the 24-hour on call info on the council website was "just for appearance".
She said it was laughable if council required roaming dogs to be secured before council collected them (referring to the below from the website: The council website says the unit is on-call 24 hours to deal with dog attacks, stock wandering on public roads and collection of trapped or secured wandering dogs .
"So they expect us to put ourselves in harm's way, when they are professional dog catchers, to catch menacing dogs."
May I please have response to the above? Any additional information?
What aspect of the unit is 24-hour on call?
Is the information on the website correct or out-of date?
Does the unit collect animals not secured?
On average how many calls does council receive for roaming dogs in a day? A week?
What is the process when the unit receives a call about a roaming or menacing dog, or pack of dogs? At night?
Any other comment about the unit or situation?
How well is the unit placed for following up with calls? Are they under any pressures? (Are staff numbers low, is safety a concern etc)
Response
From Council's Manager, Community and Regulatory Services, Kurt Williams:
“In regards to the situation that has been referred to, I will contact the resident directly to discuss their concerns rather than responding through the media.”
The following responses can also be attributed to Mr Williams.
What aspect of the unit is 24-hour on call?
Calls about roaming dogs that have been secured, dogs rushing at people, dog attacks, injured dogs and wandering stock are treated as a priority regardless of the time of day and officers are required to attend with urgency.
Officers take an informed and risk based approach to prioritising calls about unsecured roaming dogs afterhours. Where necessary we attend calls about roaming dogs as promptly as we can.
Is the information on the website correct or out-of date?
The information is correct but has been improved for clarity going forward.
It is not uncommon for people to have secured a roaming dog by the time Council is called as this prevents the dog from roaming further and can prevent the dog being injured or getting itself into further trouble.
We do not expect people to put themselves at unnecessary risk, and while helpful, we do not specifically require people to secure or trap dogs.
Most of the time, roaming dogs are spotted and picked up by our team during their proactive community patrols.
Does the unit collect animals not secured?
Yes, as above.
On average how many calls does council receive for roaming dogs in a day? A week?
This varies depending on the season, public holidays and even weather patterns. Typically, our team responds to between 400 - 500 calls for service per month.
What is the process when the unit receives a call about a roaming or menacing dog, or pack of dogs? At night?
As above, calls about roaming dogs that have been secured, dogs rushing at people, and dog attacks are treated as a priority regardless of the time of day and officers are required to attend with urgency.
Officers take an informed and risk based approach to prioritising calls about unsecured roaming dogs afterhours. Where necessary we attend calls about roaming dogs as promptly as we can.
Officers will use all information provided to try and locate dogs however, as dogs are often on the move, they’re not always able to be immediately found.
While each situation can differ, if the dog/s are located, they’re typically seized by Council while enquiries are made and if required, further investigation is undertaken. Any dogs seized are well cared for while at the Pound.
Our officers then determine what action is appropriate for each case. This can range from returning the dog and issuing a warning, to issuing an infringement or even prosecution.
Any other comment about the unit or situation?
We take community safety very seriously and do our utmost to meet community expectations while adhering to current legislation around animal control services.
On top of patrolling and responding to call-outs, our Animal Control team provides a wide range of services to the community including public education about dog safety and ownership, providing quality care to dogs in the Rotorua Pound, and actively rehoming dogs through the Rotorua Pound Homeless Hounds Facebook group. Each year, we see around 130 – 150 dogs adopted into caring new homes from the Rotorua Pound. Last year we also reunited over 500 dogs with their owners.
How well is the unit placed for following up with calls? Are they under any pressures? (Are staff numbers low, is safety a concern etc)
Our Animal Control Team certainly experience times of pressure and are often dealing with, and prioritising, multiple requests for service at any one time. Like other organisations, the effects of Covid-19 and winter illnesses have also impacted the team. However, we have business continuity plans in place to ensure these periods are well managed and the provision of quality animal control services to the Rotorua community can continue.
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Media: Local Democracy Reporter
Topic: Reserves proposal decision
Enquiry
*NOTE: this enquiry follows yesterday’s enquiry regarding the recent reserves proposal decision
Arising from that cost figure I have further comments from Todd McClay to provide to the council and mayor for the right of reply if desired.
COMMENTS
Rotorua MP Todd McClay said the cost seemed "like a ridiculous amount of money for something the public is quite opposed to".
He said the money would have better been spent on building houses and ratepayers would be "angry" they had faced "significant rate increases" when it was already hard to pay bills.
"It shows the council leadership is so willing to spend ratepayers' money so easily on things ratepayers don't actually want. The residents of Rotorua have a right to be angry."
Response
Reporter was advised neither the RLC organisation nor the mayor had anything further to add
