The owners of an Auckland dog daycare, previously convicted for failing to comply with consents, have again been convicted and fined.
Angela Maree Beer and her company, Teddy and Friends Limited – now trading as We Trust Limited (Pets & Pats) – were fined a total of $103,125 for what the Auckland Council called "repeated breaches of court orders and ongoing non-compliance with the Resource Management Act".
The latest conviction was related to the continued operation of Pets & Pats dog daycare and boarding facility at 165 Bawden Rd in Auckland's rural Dairy Flat between June 2023 and April 2024.
It's the latest conviction for Beer and her company, who were convicted in 2024 for non-compliance with consents while running a "large-scale" dog daycare that "far exceeded" the approved limits for dog numbers, operating hours, fencing standards, and exercise areas.
Over "several years", 17 different neighbours complained about the operation, prompting numerous enforcement steps, including abatement notices and a May 2023 enforcement order.
The order was intended to "limit impacts" while allowing the business time to comply with consent conditions and relocate.
"Pets & Pats continued operating in breach of those orders, generating fresh community complaints about noise, traffic, and loss of amenity," the council said.
In May 2024, Beer and her company were fined $77,750 for breaches of resource consents between September 2021 and August 2022.
Despite the 2024 conviction, Beer and her company breached enforcement orders "almost immediately", and they were found to have offended 36 more times over a 10-month period, the council said.
On Wednesday, Beer and the company were fined a total of $51,562.50 after pleading guilty to two charges of breaching enforcement orders and one charge of using land in contravention of the Auckland Unitary Plan.
In a reserved decision, Judge Sheena Tepania said Beer had shown a “blatant disregard for the laws and rules that apply to them”, calling her non-compliance with court orders "deliberate and calculated".
She said Beer took a "hands-off" approach and the offending caused “tangible adverse impacts on the amenity values and well-being of the local community".
“Pets & Pats was a commercial operation, more dogs meant more money,” Judge Tepania said.
“That this was a case of continued and consistent commercially motivated offending... and an example of blatant disregard for the law.”
Pets & Pats has since moved its operations to Kumeu.
Auckland Council’s Team Leader Prosecutions, Paul Cowling, said officials had exhausted all other compliance options before taking Beer and her company back to court.
“The rules around dog boarding and daycare activities in rural zones are clear, resource consent is required, whether a business is large or small. Enforcement is always the last resort, but where there’s deliberate defiance, prosecution is inevitable to protect the public from nuisance and harm.”
“Ignoring court orders and breaching the RMA is not okay. Auckland Council will pursue individuals and businesses that deliberately flout the rules and disregard their legal obligations. These laws exist to protect communities, and when they’re ignored, there are consequences.”
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