In the 2015-16 year 919 dogs were impounded in Hastings. Of these 179 were euthanased. This means there was a 79 per cent "claim rate" with 630 dogs returned and 96 adopted.
Last year 227 dogs were euthanased, or 20 per cent of the 1082 dogs impounded, with a 76.2 per cent claim rate.
During the same years in Napier, 495 were impounded and 78 euthanased in the 2015-16 year, and 468 dogs impounded and 85 euthanased last year.
Both councils are tracking closer in the current year - since July 2017, Hastings has recorded 503 dogs impounded and 139 euthanased. From July to the end of 2017 in Napier there were 344 dogs impounded, and 67 euthanased.
Hastings District Council community safety manager John Payne said they were comfortable the council's "returning and rehoming rate is sitting at just under 80 per cent of all dogs that go through the facility, and that its assessment of dogs is reasonable, fair and in line with what our public would accept".
He said their first responsibility in the rehoming of dogs was public safety, and they did not want to place dogs into new homes if they were a potential risk to either that family, or the general public.
"All the dogs not returned to their owners are assessed for temperament, personality and sociability, after which a decision is made on whether they are suitable for adoption. All dogs that are assessed as suitable are rehomed," he said.
He said the other issue was that Hastings, unlike some other councils, will take surrendered dogs which typically have behavioural issues, and are not suitable for rehoming.
Since July 2015, 163 dogs were surrendered to council.
Napier City Council manager regulatory solutions Hayleigh Brereton said a large number of dogs were never claimed by owners, for a variety of reasons.
"Those dogs are assessed for their suitability to be rehomed, and we work with Adopt-a-dog and vets to ensure the safety and health of both the dog and the community when rehoming any dog.
"With roaming dogs, our policy is to return dogs directly to their owner if we can, contingent on that animal being registered, and it being a first time pick-up."
Paw Justice co-founder Craig Dunn was shocked by these figures, and said councils needed to step up and take a more active role in ensuring owners understood their responsibilities.
"[Councils] do everything else for communities, so why not do more dog owners?" he said.
He suggested councils should explore other ways to educate dog owners, and consider spearheading more training opportunities, but owners also needed to make sure they understood buying a pet was a "lifetime commitment".
"The dog hasn't given up on you so why are you giving up on the dog? All these dogs in the pound aren't there by choice.
"You've got to make sure that pet suits your lifestyle. You don't want to have a dog that gets chained up for the rest of its life in the backyard."
The Central Hawke's Bay and Wairoa District councils were unable to supply figures yesterday.
