Dog attacks are on the rise according to a report released by Auckland Council today.
The report showed that Auckland's "known dog" population has increased by 5.4% to 131,795 - continuing a rising trend.
Auckland Council said the increase in reports of "unwanted dog behaviour" - this being dog on animal or dog on human aggression - has increased by 59% from last year, while dog attacks have increased by 28%.
Manager of animal management Elly Waitoa said the 28% increase of reported dog attacks is "concerning."
"There were 250 more attacks on people and 280 more attacks on other animals reported in the past year. However, we know by looking at data from ACC that only about 20% of dog bites are reported to the council."
The report also showed there was an increased need for animal management staff to respond to call outs, with 33,301 requests for service between June 2022 and June 2023.
This is a 34% increase from the previous year.
The council's animal shelters have seen the impact, with 6596 dogs impounded over the year, an increase of 31.2% over the previous year.
“Only around half of those impounded dogs were claimed by their owners, which meant the shelters were operating at more than 80% capacity for every day of the year,” Waitoa said.
She added the effects of Covid-19 were a contributing factor for the rise in numbers.
“Lots of people were getting puppies while they were at home during lockdown, but because de-sexing was not an essential service, vets weren’t able to perform de-sexing and dogs weren’t able to be adequately socialised.
“Now, these puppies are larger dogs and their owners have gone back to work, meaning there are more dogs in homes and out on the streets behaving undesirably,” she said.
On a positive note, the council facilitated adoption drives and open shelter days, which saw the adoption of 382 dogs.
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