Fletcher Munsterman at Piha beach. Photo: Supplied
An animal control officer in Auckland says compliance from dog owners has gone up on West Coast beaches over the summer.
Fletcher Munsterman patrols the beaches to ensure that dog owners are obeying the bylaws protecting the local wildlife.
The role was first trialled last year, and operated on a graduated enforcement model, where a formal warning was usually issued before an infringement notice.
On any given day Munsterman will be patrolling the beach, there to educate people if they are in the wrong areas or if they have their dog in prohibited areas.
"Typically, most people are pretty good," he said.
"Some people will go, oh, are you the beach officer? And they'll get very excited," he said.
"Other people will see me and run away.
"I've had quite a few people see the uniform, put their dog on a leash and turn around before they even get within talking distance, even if they weren't breaking any rules. And then there are others who very clearly want nothing to do with me but if I need to stop them they'll have a bit of a go."
Munsterman said one incident that stuck out was a family that accused him of ruining their family holiday when he asked them to relocate further down the beach, away from a protected area for penguins.
"We've had three reported penguin attacks since I've started patrols," Munsterman said.
Photo: Supplied
And his pet peeve? Dogs off leash in the parking lot.
"It's quite a safety issue," he said.
But Munsterman said overall, the educational approach appeared to be working with the numbers of people not complying down drastically from his first few weeks of patrols.
Auckland Council said over the past eight weeks, 39 formal warnings and four infringement notices had been issued.