Too many dogs in our towns
South Waikato towns are becoming overrun with dogs despite a ban on them in the central business district.
The problem has caused one councillor to fire up and ask for larger signs to be erected telling people of the ban.
‘‘The number of dogs in town is becoming a joke, there are dogs all over the place,’’ Putaruru Ward councillor Adrienne Bell said during the South Waikato District Council Corporate and Regulatory Committee meeting on Thursday.
Bylaws state that no dogs are allowed in the central business districts between 8am and 6pm, but Bell said many people are flaunting the rule.
‘‘The majority of them seem like nice people and they have nice dogs which they are walking on leashes so I think it is just a matter of people not realising.’’
While signs were recently put in place alerting people to the rule Bell felt they were too small for people to notice. The signs are the size of an A4 sheet of paper.
‘‘[Last Wednesday] there was even a dog fight. We have big signs saying no skateboarding so I don’t see why we can’t have the same saying no dogs,’’ she said.
She said the signs also need the council’s number clearly visible on them, particularly for drivers who may see roaming dogs. Griffiths St, Putaruru, was identified as the main area for roamers.
‘‘It is usually when you are out in your car that you see them and obviously by the time you get home, look up the council’s number and ring, the dog is going to be long gone,’’ she said.
Regulatory group manager Sharon Robinson said there were no plans to change the signs but improvements would be likely.
‘‘We will continue to educate and patrol in these areas and are looking at other information options like including stickers with a phone number and Quick Response Code to maps rather than replacing entire signs,’’ she said.
From April 1 to May 31 108 dogs were picked up for roaming in the district from which 20 per cent were registered.
According to the meeting’s agenda there were also seven dog attacks. There are a total of 3,873 dogs known to be in the district.
A map outlining dog free zones is available.