Napier dog infringements leap by 2600%

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The notices, which incur a $300 fine, are only issued after a dog's owner has refused to register their dog after receiving four written requests to do so. In just two years the number of infringement notices dished out by the city's dog control officers increased from 26 in 2016/17 to 704 in 2017/18.

Council spokesman Craig Ogborn said the council's dog control team had undergone a "significant restructure" over the past year and was now operating with a full team of four officers, plus a team leader and an administration officer.

"As a result, we are now far more active in the community providing a level of service that our community expects. The new dog control vehicles also provide greater visibility. Due to this increased activity and presence, people are also actively reporting stray and dangerous dogs. We are also actively investigating non-registered dogs, as the law requires all dogs over three months of age to be registered,"

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Image: Stuff