Councils busier without SPCA

Animal welfare callouts are up for Wairarapa council workers after the SPCA Wairarapa centre in Masterton closed in May. FILE PHOTO

The Masterton and South Wairarapa District Councils are reporting an increase in animal welfare callouts since the closure of the SPCA and the departure of Wairarapa's animal welfare inspector.

Following the closure of the Masterton centre in May and the resignation of inspector Ben Lakomy in June, both councils say they have been dealing with an increase in the number of animal welfare callouts, with Masterton also noting an increase in the number of feral cats reported.

Environmental health team leader for the South Wairarapa District Council, Bronwyn Johnson, said animal control officers had noticed a slight increase in welfare callouts since the closure of the SPCA.

There were five callouts during the last financial year and two since the beginning of the July, with calls related to dogs being in poor condition or inadequately housed, Mrs Johnson said.

Not having an SPCA in Wairarapa had added another "layer" for staff when dealing with national office, Mrs Johnson said.

"In the past it was really helpful to have the SPCA for rehoming animals."

The council had had some success using its Facebook page and other charity rehoming organisations to rehome dogs where it could, she said.

It was hard to say whether more dogs were being put down due to a lack of a home since the SPCA closed, Mrs Johnson said.

The council had put down nine dogs in 2014, three due to being unclaimed. So far three dogs had been put down in 2015, two due to being unclaimed.

Masterton District Council spokesman Sam Rossiter-Stead said the amount of work for animal control officers in the Masterton district had gone up slightly since the SPCA closed.

Extra work had been generated for officers who were now also attending animal welfare callouts, he said.

"In addition, there has been a noticeable increase in the amount of reports of feral cats in the neighbourhood, some of which have had to be euthanised due to disease and illness."

The number of dogs being put down and the number of strays picked up since the SPCA closed was about the same, he said.

The Masterton District Council had put down 106 dogs in 2014.

So far 42 dogs had been put down in 2015 but more than 50 per cent of impounded dogs in Masterton were reunited with their owners, Mr Rossiter-Stead said.

However Carterton District Council animal and dog control officer Karen Schischka said she had not noticed an increase in welfare callouts or strays since the closure of the SPCA.

"I would have thought we would've come across some dumped dogs but not as yet."

Slightly fewer dogs had been put down than last year, which might be down to "nicer" dogs being impounded, she said.

"We might be getting more dogs that are rehomeable."

Most dogs in the Carterton district had usually been rehomed through word of mouth rather than the SPCA, she said.

"We didn't want to overload them. They were for welfare dogs not strays ... We didn't want to use them and abuse them."

The Carterton District Council had put down 18 dogs in 2014, 14 of which were unclaimed or unable to be returned. In the 2015 financial year it had put down 14 dogs. Eight were unclaimed or unable to be returned.