Our priority is to keep the community safe from animal-related incidents. We also focus on returning lost animals home as quickly as we can and rehoming unclaimed dogs which are suitable to be returned to the community.
We do this by providing education to schools and workplaces about how to interact when confronted by a dog. We also work with dog owners so that they understand the responsibilities that come with owning a dog and to ensure their dog doesn’t cause nuisance or danger to any person or other animal.
We receive a lot of calls each year from the people of Tauranga asking for dog-related information and also process approximately 4000 complaints annually, mainly about barking, and roaming dogs, but also including:
- Dogs attacking or threatening people, domestic animals, stock, poultry, or property.
- Unregistered dogs.
- Dog nuisance, such as loud and excessive barking or howling.
- Wandering stock on people’s property or obstructing public roads.
- Keeping of bees, poultry, goats, pigs, and other stock within city boundaries.
To report an issue or complain about dogs or stock control, please contact the Council at (07) 577 7000 if it is urgent, or email us at info@tauranga.govt.nz.
We also run a modern pound for adopting unclaimed dogs and housing lost, roaming and aggressive dogs. The pound is MPI approved. All unclaimed dogs are temperament tested and, if suitable, we have a great adoption programme, with dogs being rehomed all over New Zealand.
Dogs available for adoption
Numbers for the 2022/23 year
- There are 15,600 known dogs in Tauranga City.
- 624,000 dog poops have been picked up using our poo bags from one of our 40 poo bin dispenser locations across Tauranga.
- We released and returned homed 493 dogs.
- We attended 850 barking dog enquiries.
- We investigated 1,429 roaming dog complaints.
- We rehomed 45 dogs through our dog adoption programme.
Top doggy names
- Bella
- Max
- Charlie
- Molly
- Poppy
Top doggy breeds
- Labrador Retriever
- Staffordshire Bull Terrier
- Border Collie
- Poodle
- Shih Tzu
- Cavalier King Charles
- Maltese
- Miniature Schnauzer
- Jack Russell
- Bichon Frise
Numbers over the years
| |
1 July 2021 to 30 June 2022 |
1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 |
| Dog attacks on people |
43 |
63 |
| Dog attacks on domestic animals |
111 |
112 |
| People rushed at by dogs |
76 |
83 |
| Roaming dog reports |
1218 |
1599 |
| Barking dogs |
883 |
966 |
| Dogs impounded |
472 |
643 |
| Infringement notices issued to dog owners |
520 |
745 |
Animal Services Statistics (397kb pdf)
TCC Policy and Practices in Relation to the Control of Dogs for the Year 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023 (367kb pdf)
We don’t investigate animal welfare matters. If you believe an animal is being abused, doesn’t have adequate water, food or shelter or isn’t being cared for properly, contact MPI or the Tauranga SPCA on (07) 578 0245.