Manukau poodle takes $340 walk

Dog owners should ensure their phone number is on their pet’s collar, says a concerned resident.

Sandra Tudman was upset the owners of a poodle she found wandering through her neighbourhood had to pay $340 to Manukau City Council for the return of their pet.

hey it's cheaper in Christchurch... it's ONLY $300 !!

"I think it’s appalling that such a large sum must be paid, particularly as the
little dog had a correct registration tag," says the Dannemora resident.

I totally agree. Why the hell do we pay registration fees... it's to safely return our dogs apart from all the other issues that don't concern good dog owners.

"One wonders exactly what owners pay the dog registration fee for, as even the AA give two free callouts to members per year," she says.

What a great comparison !! perhaps the dog pound should get a bit of competition.

It surely creates bad will amongst dog owners, that's 4 sure!

Mrs Tudman says she understands there is a cost involved in running the very necessary dog pound and dog control service.

But she questions why such a large sum must be paid by owners who have correctly tagged their pets.

"I personally felt awful being a party to the owner having to pay such a large sum to retrieve their beloved pet, and I apologise to them for that," she says.

When she asked the warden why such a large fee was necessary, she was told correct council procedures had to be followed and staff wages had to be paid from somewhere.

Mrs Tudman found the nine-year-old poodle wandering along Moyrus Cres. Concerned for his safety she took him to her home nearby and rang the council, quoting the ID number on the dog’s tag and requesting they contact the owner so they could collect their pet from her.

She was surprised when during a further call to the council she was told a ranger was on the way to take the dog to the pound.

I ALWAYS LEAVE WANDERING DOGS WANDER... BECAUSE OF THIS!! and I know that dogs will find their way back home. (or at least, most of them)

"I would have laid down in front of the truck to prevent the little fellow from suffering the stress of being taken to the pound," she says.

When the ranger arrived more than five hours after the first call, the owner was contacted and the poodle was taken directly home.

The $340 amount payable to the council comprised a $40 impounding fee for a first offence and a $300 infringement notice which is payable within 14 days.

The dog registration fee is $120 a year. Ya gotta wonder why NO ONE raised this ISSUE during our city's mayoral race...apart from DOGLINKS!

Manukau City Council communications adviser Sharleen Pihema says the fines and fees charged in relation to impounded dogs are nationally imposed and the council has no power to enforce different amounts.

"Stray dogs are the number one dog complaint in the city each year, and the registration fee does not cover the cost of management services for them," she says. Bullshit!

"It wouldn’t be fair for other ratepayers to have to cover the cost of this service. Well we cover the health service for stray teenagers in hospitals!

"The dog owner should have to pay, and the $300 fine sends a strong message to owners to ensure that they contain their dog on their property and to control it when in public."

Send THAT message ... what an awful way of managing dogs, dog owners, people... ya think we're dumb!

I had an email from a concerned UK person who said that they heard that New Zealand was a non-dog-friendly place, and wanted to know if it were true. They didn't know if they should immigrate.

What do you think I told them?