Council seizes ex-guide dog

An Auckland dog owner is hot under the collar after his old golden retriever - a former guide dog that was retired after it started to go blind - was impounded for not wearing a current registration tag.

Nine-year-old Winnie was dozing on her mat outside the door of her fully fenced Onehunga home on Thursday when she was picked up, taken to a pound and locked up.

Winnie's owners Matt and Louise Jones tried to rescue her, but were told they would have to collect her the next day. So began Winnie's long night at "the most miserable dog centre on earth," said Mr Jones.

She returned traumatised, covered in insects, and had been skittery and jumpy ever since, he said.

"She's never done a thing wrong in her life, and now she's spent the night with guys on death row," said Mr Jones.

The saga began one-and-a-half weeks ago when Winnie's former owner - Matt's partially sighted father Brian - received a phone call from the Auckland City Council saying Winnie's registration tag was out of date.

He passed on his son's phone numbers, but Matt never received a phone call.

Winnie had an up-to-date registration tag from the Manukau City Council, but the Auckland City Council had to see it.

Guide dogs get free registration, but Mr and Mrs Jones forgot to take the tag to the Auckland City Council to get it renewed.

Auckland City Council's manager of service requests, Warren Adler, said checking on dog registration was done annually, but no one could recall a service dog, such as a guide dog, ever being seized.

" ... in the case of a service dog, rather than seize the dog, perhaps we'd make a phone call to the owner," he said.

Mr Adler said the council would investigate the matter.

Winnie was relieved her ordeal was over. "She's ... glad to be back home with mummy and daddy," said Mr Jones.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY