Animal Control servicesNgā ratonga mana whakahaere kararehe

Responsible dog ownership

You may have seen news reports about, or heard of, a number of vicious dog attacks in recent years. Few of these types of attacks would have happened if the dog owner had ensured his or her dog was under control at all times. Napier City Council's Animal Control team is committed to preventing such incidents through its combination of education and enforcement.

You can play your part in ensuring that dog ownership is a pleasant experience for everyone by taking responsibility for registering your dog. Napier currently has 6887 registered dogs - which is around 89% of known dogs in the city. This is a great result, but we can always do better, so if your dog is yet to be registered, please contact us to get this process underway.

But registration is only one part of the equation. Animal Control also works hard to promote responsible dog ownership in the community, and ensure the safety of the public.

Your Dog Control Team

If we find your dog roaming and that dog is registered, our team will return her to you (free of charge on the first occasion). We may need to keep her at the shelter until we reach you but we'll take good care of her, ensuring she's warm, well fed and receives any veterinary care she might need.

When we bring her back to you, we'll see if there's anything that can be done to make sure she doesn’t escape again. We know how upsetting it can be to be separated from your dog. But if the worst happens, we strongly recommend you microchip your dog (and we can do this for you at a discounted rate). We also provide a discount for neutering/speying (de-sexing) your dog. Please contact us for details.

What else does Animal Control do?

• In 2018 we received 3609 dog-related service requests from our residents - nearly 70 a week. These cover everything from barking dogs to roaming dogs to dog attacks. We investigate and resolve these requests as they come in. We provide advice, help check fences and gates, can help install running wires to keep dogs contained, and we can help you understand your dog’s behaviour.

• We're obliged under the Dog Control Act (1996) to protect the communityfrom ‘dangerous’ or ‘menacing’ dogs. We collect lost or roaming dogs, take them to our shelter aka the Pound, re-home them where we can. We investigate dog attacks on people and other animals and prepare files of serious dog attacks for Council hearings and Court prosecutions

• We’re keen to promote a culture of responsible dog ownership in Napier. That’s why we put a lot of emphasis on education programmes, especially schools and kindergarten visits (from Feb 2019 to June 2019, our staff delivered education programmes to 1124 students in Napier). This work is to teach our children how to be safe around dogs, but also how to be better, gentler dog owners themselves when the time comes.

• We maintain two dog agility tracks – Park Island and in Taradale -  and a dog shower at Park Island so that you can clean up your dog after a fun day out.

• We keep 12 dog poo-bag dispensers topped up around our city.

Impounded Dogs

Every year we must impound dogs for various reasons. Dogs might be impounded because they have attacked other animals or people, are found roaming, or have been surrendered to us. We try our very best to return lost or roaming dogs to their owners. All other dogs, where possible are rehomed. We follow a strict protocol to ensure the dog is desexed, physically well, and has a temperament suitable to be rehomed. We need to be able to ensure the public’s safety.

In some cases, the dog cannot be returned or rehomed. A dog may be very unwell, or does not pass our rehoming test – in short, it could be a danger to others. A small percentage of our dogs are euthanised. Two Animal Control Officers must agree on this course of action, and sign it off, before euthanasia is performed by a registered vet. Over time, Napier City Council has been able to rehome more and euthanise less. Most council pounds expect to euthanise around 20% of its animals. In the past year Napier City Council has euthanised 15.75%.

1/07/2014 – 30/06/2015  NCC impounded 838 dogs and 179 of these were euthanised (21.4%)

1/07/2015 – 30/06/2016  NCC impounded 495 dogs and 78 of these were euthanised  (15.75%)

1/07/2016 – 30/06/2017  NCC impounded 468 dogs and 85 of these were euthanised  (18.16%)

Dog Control Stats

Say Hello

You might see our Animal Control Officers out and about, perhaps in Pandora, Park Island or on the Rotary pathway. Stop and have a chat - they're happy to help out and will answer any questions you might have about dog control.

Dog Pound

Napier City Council Dog Pound
+64 6 834 4177
+64 6 834 4178
Depot Place (off Austin Street), Onekawa
Email Us

Opening times for re-claiming dogs and viewing dogs available for re-homing subject to approval.

Monday to Thursday - 8.30am to 9.30am and 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Friday - 3.30pm to 4.30pm
Weekends and Public Holidays - by appointment only.

Animal Problems

The following dog control problems are subject to the issuing of infringement notices or prosecution:

• Roaming dogs and stock
• Dogs rushing or attacks on persons, pets, stock or wildlife.
• Non compliance with any part of the Dog Control Act 1996 or the Napier City Council Bylaws 2004.