Rotorua's shocking stray dog statistics has seen the council, vets and SPCA join forces to try and deal with the problem.
The Rotorua District Council, Rotorua SPCA and VetPlus are in talks about starting a programme in which the three organisations would pay a quarter of the cost each with local dog owners to get their dogs de-sexed.
Rotorua SPCA manager Nicola Martin said the details of the programme were yet to be finalised and that included whether the programme would be for all local dog owners or only those with Community Services Cards.
If the programme goes ahead, the cost to de-sex a dog for locals in the city could possibly fall from about $100 to around $30.
Rotorua District Councillor Julie Calnan said the council had pledged $30,000 over the next three years to help start and run the programme.