Bull Terrier Type Owners Beware:
From the North Shore Times Advertiser:
A major council crackdown on unregistered dogs has begun, with enforcement officers mounting a door-to-door campaign to catch offenders.
"Twenty North Shore streets have already been targeted at random and 76 unregistered dogs have been found.
That total is expected to
rise to 3000 once the citywide campaign is finished.
A council enforcement officer is working with the animal control team to target unregistered dogs.
Offenders can be fined $700 on the spot and face more costs if the dog is impounded.
There is an amnesty period until July 1 when the charges take effect.
North Shore City Council environmental protection team leader Warwick Robertson says one street of 86 houses had nine unregistered dogs and in another with 76 houses the officer found 11.
Unexpectedly the worst offenders are being found in some of the Shore’s more affluent streets, he says.
Those include Atwood Rd in Paremoremo and streets in Greenhithe.
"Some people think they are above the law," Mr Robertson says.
Lower socioeconomic areas will also be visited.
"This is not a money-grabbing exercise. We are trying to prevent things like dogs getting lost and attacks on children," he says.
Many of the unregistered dogs are miniature breeds such as chihuahuas and pomeranians.
For larger, more vicious dogs the officers carry a spray with a scent that repels them.
North Shore city has 13,700 registered dogs.
National legislation requires all dogs to be registered and that all new registrations be microchipped.
Annual registration on the Shore costs $70 for desexed animals and $100 for others.
Mr Robertson says there is six months’ grace after registration for owners to have their dogs microchipped. This is ample time, he says".
The APBTA Inc. disagrees.
In a country the size of NZ, with such low pay rates and rapidly becoming a nation of tenants, we say that such short notice constitutes an even faster track toward the constructive and deliberate dismissal of the family pet.
