Animal Management team leader for South Auckland James Faulkner. Photo: Supplied
South Auckland has the highest number of roaming dogs in the region, figures have revealed.
According to Auckland Council, 15,146 roaming dogs were reported to them and 5040 of these canines were picked up in South Auckland, in the year 2023-2024.
Manurewa had the highest number of reported cases in the region with 1023 call-outs.
Ōtara had 947 reports, Papakura had 946, Papatoetoe with 672 and Māngere and Māngere East had 620 and 479 respectively.
Animal Management team leader for South Auckland James Faulkner said they receive callouts on a daily basis, with officers expected to receive an average of five calls per shift.
"We have 13 officers in my team so we can get upwards of 50 jobs a day for all of South Auckland," Faulkner said.
"But, Manurewa is the busiest, not by a long way, but it is technically where we are having roaming dog issues the most."
A few factors played into the roaming dogs issue in South Auckland, including dog owners not having secure properties and purposely letting dogs out to roam, he said.
"We see there are a lot more unregistered dogs, so there are a lot of unknown dogs in South Auckland. We don't know, a lot of the time, where the roaming dogs are coming from.
"And then we have a lot more unneutered dogs, undesexed dogs in South Auckland which means they breed a lot more. Often because of this, they have a high mate drive that causes them to roam."
He said numbers increased every year for roaming dogs, welfare checks and attacks across Auckland.
Manurewa also had the highest call-outs for dog pick-ups, with 298 cases in the last year. It was also high in Papakura, Henderson, Māngere and Papatoetoe.
"South Auckland has always been the busiest area so the problem has been more obvious.
"In Manurewa specifically, there is honestly a lack of reporting and under-reporting from the public when there are roaming dogs and attack issues. So we don't see the entire picture, even though the numbers are already so high."
Faulkner, who has been a part of Animal Management South Auckland for almost three years, said once a report was received, they aimed to make contact within an hour, if the job was still active, aggression or injury.
A lot of the dogs which are impounded are not claimed by their owners despite several attempts to reunite them, he said.
"In South Auckland, we have the highest rates of people not registering their dogs, or microchipping. So it can be very difficult for them to be contacted once the dog is impounded."
To combat the ever growing number of roaming dogs and pick-ups, Faulkner said Animal Management had expanded their teams and worked proactively with the community on responsible dog ownership and safety.
"We have a desexing initiative in these areas with high levels of unneutered dogs to support people that are struggling financially.
"The main thing is that people need to be responsible for their dogs, make sure they are contained at all times, properly trained and registered and micro chipped."
If dog does get out, they are able to reunite them with their owner quickly, he said.
"It is frustrating when we have to deal with the same people over and over again. We understand that mistakes happen and dogs can get out, but there are people that fail to comply, fail to listen, despite us visiting multiple times.
"And those dogs are causing serious issues and danger, not only to motorists and other animals but children going to school as well as pedestrians."
Top 10 Suburbs for roaming dogs in 2023-2024
- Manurewa 1023
- Ōtara 947
- Papakura 946
- Papatoetoe 672
- Māngere 620
- Māngere East 479
- Henderson 439
- Massey 409
- Mount Wellington 379
- Pukekohe 353
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.