Around the same time a number of concerns were highlighted through social media, including the plight of boxer cross Dougie, who was impounded for seven weeks after a complaint of alleged "rushing".
Mr Payne was commissioned to review the council's animal control services and his report was overseen by another consultant, former Waitakere City Council chief executive Harry O'Rourke.
Mr Yule said Mr O'Rourke's involvement was to avoid any potential conflict of interest on the part of the council's acting chief executive, John O'Shaughnessy, who was the council group manager with oversight for animal control at the time of the complaints.
The 48-page report says there appeared to be "a blame culture and mistrust" within the council's animal control team and it recommended a review of the team's structure and staff numbers.
"Statistically, performance is at a high level, however the community relationship is at a low level. The hard-line approach has served its purpose and should now be modified," the report says. "Greater effort should be made to ensure that staff are delivering a high-quality service."
The report recommends a new pound be built within the next two to three years while the existing facility needed "significant modification which should be undertaken immediately".
The interim changes included resurfacing the pound's floor, providing dry bedding in every pen and building a dedicated area for dangerous dogs.
The report will be considered at a council meeting in a fortnight's time when Mr Yule said staff would recommend its suggestions for immediate changes at the pound be approved.
Those changes were expected to cost $165,000, which could be paid for out of a $307,000 dog reserve fund and completed by February.
The council had also budgeted a further $500,000 in its long-term plan to replace the existing pound, which was built in about 1970.
Mr Yule had previously said he was proud of the council's tough animal control stance, which was put in place in 2008 to deal with problems with roaming and menacing dogs.
But he said yesterday that with the issue now under control it was time to change focus, and that in turn should help build morale within the animal control team.
"We've adopted a public safety approach and adopted a zero-tolerance hard line but while we've been doing that we've disenfranchised our good dog owners and we have to rebuild that confidence and understanding."
Animal rights advocate Jessica Maxwell said the report vindicated the public outrage over the animal control unit and Mr Payne's call for immediate changes at the pound confirmed her concerns that dogs had been "kept in non-compliant squalor".
Councillor Wayne Bradshaw said it was unfortunate it had taken agitation from Ms Maxwell and others to get the issues addressed.
"Hopefully we get the right outcomes from this report."
Mr Payne's report is expected to cost ratepayers about $25,000.
