We can provide information about your responsibilities as a dog owner and help you understand the different types of dog behaviour.
Tauranga currently has over 15,000 registered dogs, that’s one dog for every 10 people. As the city and dog numbers grow, dog owners need to become more aware of their dog’s behaviour and how it integrates with society.
The Dog Control Act 1996 and Council's Dog Management Bylaw 2018 (4mb pdf), requires dog owners to manage their dog’s behaviour responsibly.
This includes ensuring your dog:
- is kept under effective control* at all times
- does not cause nuisance by loud and persistent barking
- does not injure, endanger, intimidate or distress any person, animal or wildlife
It is important that you, the dog owner, are vigilant in looking after your dog, and always ensure you:
- place your dog on a lead when approaching people or other animals
- clean up after your dog
- keep your dog securely fenced on your property.
Information for dog owners (339kb pdf)
While you can exercise your dog off-leash in many areas, you must still maintain effective control of your dog at all times. If your dog will not return to you when you call it, then you should not take it off-leash control.
If you have lost your dog tag and need a replacement, fill out the form below. Once we have processed the form, a new tag will be sent.
Tag replacement form (54kb doc)
*'Under Effective Control' means: to manage, influence or determine the activities of all dogs in a person's possession, whether by voice commands, hand signals, whistles or other effective means, so that no dog can cause nuisance or danger to any person or other animal and cannot enter or interfere with private property and includes the physical ability to restrain all dogs in a person's possession.
Did you know that every dog must be: