Barking up the wrong tree? What you need to know about Auckland's dog rules

Dogs can be a bone of contention in the public spaces of our biggest city.

So what should Auckland’s dog owners — and the rest of the community — know about the rules before they hit the beach or park with their pooch?

There are different restrictions for the various parks and beaches around Auckland, which is why dog owners should take some time to check the rules for where they’re going on the Auckland Council website.

Dog owners should also pay careful attention to any signs at these public spaces.

For example, dogs are prohibited between 10am and 5pm on most of the city’s beaches over summer (from December 1 to March 31).

Quite a few beaches are also next to Department of Conservation land, so there are prohibited areas for dogs, due to nesting native birds in those areas.

But people need to do more than just abide by those park or beach rules, said Elly Waitoa, manager of Animal Management at Auckland Council.

“[You need to make] sure your dog is controlled at all times,” she said.

“So even if it’s an off-leash area, the dog must be under control. It must be able to be recalled straight away; you shouldn't have aggressive dogs off lead.

“If you can’t recall your dog, keep it on a lead. If it reacts to other animals or other dogs, again, keep it on a lead and put a muzzle on it. We need to destigmatise muzzle-wearing.”

Waitoa said dog owners should also be mindful that their pets must not be on or near playgrounds.

Waitoa said most dog owners abide with the by-laws in place.

Auckland Council’s animal management team has approximately 70 employees when it is fully staffed, but they have to cover all animals across the entire city and often have to prioritise high risk, high harm incidents, which takes up a lot of their time.

The city currently has just the one beach officer who patrols the popular west coast beaches such as Piha. Funded by the local board, this is a fixed-term position, focused primarily on educating people about the rules around dogs there.

“We also respond to complaints from members of the public, particularly if there's a volume of them for a particular beach at certain times, so we know where to focus our resources,” Waitoa said.

“We also undertake proactive patrols, particularly on the north beaches.”

Waitoa said her team has limited resources to attend low priority call-outs but said it’s still worth reporting any concerning behaviour people might see at the beach or park.

“It’s really important that we know and if there's a sudden increase in certain areas that we actually hear about it,” she said.

“Sometimes we’ll have a [resident] who says, ‘Oh, there's this one particular person, they're always out at this sort of time,’ and if they can give us enough information and we have availability, we will go out there.”

Waitoa said some people will confront dog owners themselves and point out their dog shouldn’t be there.

“We obviously don't want anybody getting abused or threatened, so only do that if you feel safe to do so.”

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Waitoa said people can try to get a photo of the dog owner’s vehicle if it’s safe, too. The council team can then look up the number plate and follow up with the owner to discuss any dog breaches.

But she said the best way to report any concerns over dogs in public areas is to call the council on 09 301 0101.