Tauranga City Council is reminding dog owners that while they might enjoy a walk along the beach, their pets aren't always allowed to tag along with them.
The team has recently started patrolling Mt Maunganui and Papamoa beaches, to educate owners on their responsibilities and raise awareness of restricted exercise areas.
Animal services team leader Brent Lincoln said dog owners could exercise their pets almost anywhere in Tauranga as long as the animal was under control. However, there were some places where owners were not allowed to take their dog, for ecological reasons or because the areas were used intensively by the public.
We get a lot of complaints about dogs being allowed to run up to people. Even though the dog may not do anything, this can still be intimidating and is not acceptable dog control.
"These patrols are all about us getting out there to ask our community to do the right thing and exercise their dogs on our beaches within the rules - that is, control their dogs effectively, dispose of their droppings properly, keep them on leads when required, and keep them away from restricted areas."