Noisy pets a nuisance

Noisy animals are causing headaches for some Auckland residents.

And with daylight savings starting on September 24, the number of noise complaints Auckland Council receives is likely to increase as roosters start crowing in the small hours.

The council regularly receives noise complaints relating to dogs, chickens, roosters, and even, on occasion, parakeets and peacocks.

In the year to June the council’s animal management team received 8300 complaints about dogs barking.

Between October and August, it received 230 poultry-related complaints, 87 of which came from central Auckland.

Auckland Council bylaws and compliance manager Max Wilde said it received rooster complaints year-round.

‘‘Some will crow at pretty much anything – a dog barking, a car door slamming, even a security light coming on,’’ Wilde said.

‘‘But once the clocks change, roosters start crowing from 4am and people get grumpy,’’ Wilde said.

Sandringham resident Raewyne Crewe and her partner have seven chickens.

Although Crewe had received one noise complaint about her chickens in the past, most of her neighbours were accepting of them and liked receiving eggs, she said.

Of the noisy dog complaints, about 4000 were from central and east Auckland.

Auckland Council animal management manager Tracey Moore said 103,000 dogs were registered last year.

In 2015, council started trialling electronic collars on noisy dogs.

Electronic bark collars have been controversial as they modify a dog’s behaviour through vibrations, shocks and releasing a citronella spray.

‘‘Our monitoring shows that bark collars can be effective in reducing barking,’’ Moore said.

Council did not supply electronic bark collars but worked with owners to encourage their use when noise was an ongoing problem.

It was important for owners to understand why their dog was barking, and that there were other actions they could try first before using an electronic bark collar, she said.

Ellerslie resident David Foley said his dog used to bark so he bought an electronic collar.

‘‘He still barked for a day or two until he learnt the consequences of the collar which they have to go through,’’ Foley said.

‘‘Now when he has the collar on, he doesn’t bark.’’