Amnesty precedes crackdown on dogs
Pitbull owners have been offered an amnesty in a bid to prevent more dog attacks.
The Auckland Council made the announcement in Manukau, South Auckland, yesterday alongside Police Minister and Papakura MP Judith Collins.
It comes shortly after 7-year-old Darnell MinarapaBrown was savaged by his uncle’s pitbull in Takanini, South Auckland.
Councillor Calum Penrose, the chairman of the council’s regulatory and bylaws committee, said the amnesty was an attempt to get menacing dogs registered, microchipped and desexed.
Dogs classified as ‘‘menacing’’ under the Dog Control Act include pitbull terriertype dogs, the brazilian fila, dogo argentino, japanese tosa and perro de presa canario.
Dogs can also be classified as menacing if they have an aggressive nature or commit an aggression-related offence.
The amnesty will run until June 30 and is open to owners of menacing dogs which are not registered for the 2015/16 year. Owners who come forward will have the usual $300 fine for failing to register waived. The council will also desex, microchip and provide muzzles for their dogs for $25.
Desexing a male dog usually costs about $180 and desexing a female dog about $250. The desexing drive aims to cut the number of pitbulltype dogs in Auckland, and vets say neutering or spaying a dog makes them less likely to roam, bite and fight with other dogs.
Owners of unregistered menacing dogs who do not take advantage of the amnesty will be warned that animal management teams will conduct an enforcement campaign from July 1 and will automatically seize the dogs and fine their owners.
The council will work with police and Housing NZ to identify properties where these dogs are present.
Collins said both Manurewa and Papakura had had ‘‘more than [their] fair share’’ of dog attacks in recent weeks. Many dangerous dog owners needed to be educated about their responsibilities.
They were often known to police and other social agencies, Collins said.
‘‘The type of people who have these menacing dogs, they also unfortunately don’t look after their children, they don’t look after themselves, they don’t look after anything.’’
Geoff Keber, the council’s manager of animal management, said pitbulls and pitbull crosses were 20 times more likely than any other breed to be involved in a serious attack. The majority of dogs reported for biting or attacking were not registered, he said. Dog attacks in the region were at an ‘‘all-time high’’.
Ninety bites and 113 attacks were recorded in January, compared with 55 bites and 58 attacks in November 2014.
The Takanini attack spurred the council to bring forward the release of a ‘‘world-first’’ dog safety training app for children. The free ‘‘A Dog’s Story’’ smartphone and tablet app was developed in partnership with Mars Petcare and advertising agency Colenso BBDO. In 2015, there were 73 transplants from deceased donors, and 74 from living donors. New Zealand has a 91 per cent success rate for kidney transplants after one year, and 82 per cent after five years. Kidney donors should be over 18 years old and in good health. Kidney donations are managed by renal (kidney) transplant co-ordinators at hospitals with a renal specialist service. For more information, visit kidneydonor.org.nz/