Pākoro kuri Tauranga

If your dog is lost or missing, call us and we'll check if it's being held at the Tauranga dog pound

We'll also put your dog on our lost and found register.

Our focus is to reunite dogs and their owners as soon as we can or to rehome suitable unclaimed dogs. We hold unregistered dogs where the owner is unknown, for a minimum of seven days. If the dog is registered we will hold it for a minimum of 14 days. Dogs that are wearing a registration tag or are microchipped can normally be returned quickly.

To prevent your dog from being impounded, make sure:

• your dog is registered and microchipped and tell us the details
• your dog is securely contained at home and can't wander the streets
• your dog is under your control when exercising
• you let us know immediately if your dog is lost or missing.

A dog that isn’t registered won't be released from the dog pound until its registration has been paid.

Why are dogs in the pound?

The majority of dogs in the pound have been found roaming by members of the public. Most of these are claimed by their owners within a day or two.

Often dogs that are not claimed are ones that demonstrate behavioural issues and have not been socialised with other dogs or in some cases with people. We believe that many of these dogs end up being abandoned by their owners as they cannot control them.

Some dogs are held pending the outcome of legal procedures such as prosecution.

Council only prosecutes a dog owner where there has been:

• a serious attack
• repeat offending that shows that the owner is not willing or capable of controlling the dog, and;
• there is a high probability of a dog attack.

While council receives around 50 complaints about attacks on people each year, the resulting prosecutions are much less, i.e. three or four in a year.

These dogs are held in the pound pending the outcome of prosecutions to keep the public of Tauranga safe.

Visiting the pound

Members of the public do not have general access to the pound. Access is controlled and available to people collecting their impounded dog or adopting an unclaimed dog. This is to protect the privacy of dog owners whose dogs have been impounded and to ensure the safety of these dogs and any legitimate visitors. Owners and immediate family (of dogs impounded because of a pending prosecution) may apply to visit their dog and this may be approved with specific conditions.

The Tauranga pound is a purpose-built facility primarily designed for two purposes:

1. To keep impounded dogs safe, healthy and secure
2. To provide a safe environment for staff and visitors.

The pens are designed to maintain separation between dogs and to minimise the risk of injury or cross-contamination from diseases such as parvo.

The area is temperature-controlled, has natural light, and is designed to be easily cleaned. Health records are maintained on all impounded dogs and a vet visits most weeks and inspects any dogs of concern.

The dog pound is open Monday from 9:00am to 4:30pm, and Tuesday to Friday from 2:00pm to 4:30pm—appointments are required during these hours as the gates are no longer left open.

The dog pound has implemented an appointment-only policy for microchipping and dog releases.

Microchipping services are available by appointment throughout the week.

Please call 07 577 7700 to arrange an appointment to visit the pound.

The dog pound is located at 88 Hewletts Road, Mount Maunganui, in front of Higgins Yard and opposite the Z Petrol Station.

In special circumstances, dogs may be collected outside of these hours if staff are available.

Tauranga dog pound (1.3mb pdf)

Paying for your dog

The fee is set by Council to cover the cost of maintaining the dog pound, feeding the dogs and maintaining security. Depending on the circumstances of your dog’s impoundment other fees may apply.

Eftpos is available at the pound or you can pre-pay (eftpos or credit card only) at one of our customer service centres.

Dog fees and charges