Wellington City Council’s animal services worked themselves to the bone this year with responsible dog ownership behaviours a priority as the team focused on the safety of residents and visitors.
- Dogs registered for 2019/20 was 12,328 – an increase on 11,897 the previous year.
- Dangerous and menacing dogs classified – 4, down on previous year of 5.
- Infringement notices issued 101 – constantly decreasing since 125 in 2015/2016.
- Barking dog complaints were 455 – down from 660 the previous year.
It has been a busy year with some interesting data recorded, much of which can be attributed to the COVID-19 lockdown, says Council’s Manager Public Health Helen Jones.
“Barking dog complaints were down dramatically, a clear indicator that pooches were happy their human family was home with them more often.
“We also registered any new dogs free of charge during the lockdown period, likely reflected in the higher numbers for the year.”
In early 2020, Council again activated a mobile pop-up display offering on-the-spot dog registration and dog training advice, as well as behavioural assistance for dogs to owners. A dog rehoming programme shared with Hutt City Council also had a lot of interest with dogs successfully rehomed all over the country.
“Responsible dog owner training was very popular with over 120 owners taking part this year,” adds Helen.
“A new park was created in Mount Albert Park, but it’s our community engagement activities that are always a hit, with the team getting involved in community Christmas parades, dog club events, community pool events (Dogs ‘n’ Togs), and a concert for dogs on the Wellington waterfront.”
Following a busy year, Council is now asking local dog owners to take a short survey to help us better understand how Wellingtonians use our dog services and how they could be improved.