Animal Management targets Conifer Grove dog attacks on cats

Last month, Auckland Council's Animal Management officers focussed efforts on uplifting nuisance and roaming dogs in Conifer Grove, Takanini, following reports of 14 cats killed in the area in the past two months.

Since then, our officers uplifted 13 dogs in and around Conifer Grove and, are pleased to say, have not received any complaints of dog attacks on cats since March 14.

Proactive Animal Management Team Leader Aaron Neary says that as this was an unusually high number, officers took all possible steps to address the issue to support the local community.

"Our thoughts are with the owners of these beloved pets and we wanted residents to know we did all that we could to put a stop to the attacks.

"Our Animal Management officers prioritised complaints in Conifer Grove and our newly-established proactive team undertook a minimum of twice-daily patrols in the area."

Working with Conifer Grove community in March 2024

Members of our Animal Management unit, along with Councillor Daniel Newman, met with Conifer Grove residents in March to hear residents' concerns and to outline steps the council is taking to address the attacks.

Officers also spoke at the meeting about the challenges they faced, including difficulties in catching roaming and aggressive dogs and a lack of firm evidence identifying the dogs responsible.

"While we have received many complaints from residents about black and/or tan dogs in the area, we cannot take every dog that meets this description into custody," said Aaron at the time.

"What we are doing is uplifting any roaming dogs we see and visiting addresses of interest to speak with dog owners about keeping their dogs contained."

Aaron says that ultimately, the cause of these attacks is irresponsible dog ownership.

"Cat attacks, as well as attacks on other animals, people and wildlife, often occur when dog owners allow their dog to roam beyond their property. The dog's sense of its territory can expand to the surrounding area, increasing the likelihood of aggressive behaviour and attacks on animals."

Dog owners must take all possible steps to ensure their dogs are kept safe, secure and contained on their properties and not allowed to roam. They should also be aware that if a dog is reported as roaming or seen by an Animal Management officer during a proactive patrol, the officer will attempt to uplift the dog and contain it at one of our shelters.

While officers will take all possible steps to contact the owners, this can be difficult if the dog is not registered or microchipped.

Advice for Conifer Grove residents and cat owners:

• To ensure the safety of animals in the community, it is crucial that residents contact the council 09 301 0101 immediately if they see dogs roaming, particularly when in pairs as this is when it is more likely for dogs to exhibit prey drive behaviour.
• When reporting, please supply as many details as possible including descriptions of the dogs and owners, and any supporting details such as the address where the dog was last seen. All incidents involving aggression are considered high priority and will be responded to within 60 minutes.
• We appreciate that dog attacks are very stressful for both pet owners and witnesses, and we are advising cat owners to keep their cats inside overnight, as this is when the attacks are taking place.

Advice for dog owners:

• Issues can arise when dog owners allow their dog to roam beyond their property. The dog's sense of its territory can expand to the surrounding area, increasing the likelihood of aggressive behaviour and attacks.
• To keep our communities safe and prevent dogs from causing harm to beloved pets, people or wildlife, we urge people to be responsible dog owners and keep their dogs contained or under control at all times.
• De-sexing is particularly important. Not only does it help reduce the number of unwanted puppies, but de-sexed dogs are less likely to be aggressive and are less likely to roam.

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