“This includes low rates of annual registrations and an increase in the number of incidents involving roaming or uncontrolled dogs. The safety of the community is a key priority, holding off on the discussion to allow dogs in the CBD for the time being allows council and the community to work together to improve compliance in relation to dog control.”
Mike Mcvicker lives near the lakefront, and submitted that the council should not wait to consider removing the ban. Mcvicker said the reasoning of declining dog registrations was “irrational”.
Mcvicker said it was frustrating the ban was in place, particularly, he said the council told him early last year the public would be consulted on potentially lifting it.
“We’re still waiting.”
He also viewed leads as essential. He understood lifting the ban was last raised 12 years ago.
Building a bank of doggy DNA
The bylaw and policy review proposed changes including building a dog DNA database to identify dogs during investigations and to enforce desexing where the council has a record of the dog being out of control within the previous year.
The purpose was to give council staff more tools to keep people and animals safe from dangerous or menacing dogs, and to help rule enforcement.
Rotorua dog walker Holly Wright believed a DNA database would mean less chance of a dog being accused of something it did not do. It would make it easier to prosecute, she said.
“There’s a lot of roaming dogs that look the same.”
Wright said addressing roaming dogs was essential. A DNA database would help with this as would desexing – which also addressed overpopulation.
“Uncontrolled dogs can become aggressive, especially when roaming.”
Dog owner Lexia Tauarua did not support DNA databanking or the desexing.
“In the end, it is going to be a cost to good dog owners.”
She did not believe “bad dog owners” would pay up, and it would be paid for by the good owners.
Tauarua was concerned it would drive already-rising registration costs higher.
The consultation website stated there was a relatively small cost to obtain and process DNA profiles and the intention was to recover costs through impound fees, not the wider community.
Laura Smith is a Local Democracy Reporting journalist based at the Rotorua Daily Post. She previously reported general news for the Otago Daily Times and Southland Express, and has been a journalist since 2019.
- LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.