Our priority is to keep the community safe from animal related incidents. We also focus on returning home lost animals 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 that they have a huge responsibility when owning a dog and to ensure it 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 information and also process approximately 4000 complaints, 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.
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.
In the last five years, our strategies together with help from the public have helped to reduce aggression against people by 31%, attacks on domestic animals by 12%, barking dogs by 14% and roaming dogs by 27%, at the same time dog numbers have increased by 17.6%.
Dogs available for adoption
To report an issue or complain about dogs or stock control please contact Council on (07) 577 7000 if it is urgent, or email us at info@tauranga.govt.nz.
TCC Policy and Practices in Relation to the Control of Dogs for the Year 1 July 2020 to 30 June 2021 (103kb 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.