Council’s dog control policy is determined by the Dog Control Act 1996 and the Council’s Dog Control Bylaw (1997).

The Dog Control Act 1996 requires councils to be responsible for all matters relating to:

• dog control, namely impounding, barking/dangerous dogs
• complaints relating to ill treatment of dogs
• registration of dogs
• dog training and owner education programmes

To download the full dog policy, click here (pdf file, 191kb)

Maps referred to in the dog policy, permitted dog exercise areas (pdf file, 698kb), prohibited areas (pdf file, 225kb)

To download the full dog bylaw, click here (pdf file, 129kb)

To download the general information pamphlet, click here (pdf file, 241kb)

To download the the annual report on dog control, click here (pdf file, 62kb)

The essential elements of the Council’s dog control policy are set out below.

All dog owners should ensure that their dogs:

• are registered
• receive proper care, attention, nutrition and shelter
• are adequately exercised
• are kept under control at all times
• do not cause a nuisance to neighbouring residents
• do not injure or distress any livestock, people or property

Dog registration

All dogs over the age of three months need to be registered. Central Vets Ltd, Alexandra, undertakes all dog registrations for the Central Otago District Council.

The cost is:

There is a 50% surcharge if registration fees are not paid by 31 July.

For more information regarding registration (including deregistration of deceased dogs), classification of owners and dogs, click here (pdf, 242kb)

Dog owner responsibilities

Registered dog owners are expected to take good care of their dogs. However, irresponsible owners may be put on probation under the provisions of the Council’s dog control policy.

Probationary owners are those who have been found on more than one occasion to neglect their dog, allow it to wander from home, or to break any other conditions of the Council’s dog policy.

Probationary owners:

• are charged a 50% surcharge on all dog control fees
• are not allowed to acquire a new dog
• are required to hold a probationary classification for up to 24 months

Disqualification of owners

If a dog owner causes extreme stress to his/her animal or commits offences against the dog control policy, the Council may disqualify that owner from the right of owning a dog for up to five years.

Dangerous dogs

Council may also classify any dog that has hurt or threatened another person or animal as ‘dangerous’.

Owners must ensure that any dangerous dog is:

• kept within a securely fenced portion of the owner’s property, completely separate to access routes
• muzzled whenever it is taken outside its owner’s property
• neutered within a month of being classified as dangerous

Owners of dangerous dogs will be charged an extra 50% for registering the animal.

Control of dogs in public places

Dogs on a leash

Whenever a dog leaves its owner’s property it must be kept under control at all times. All dogs within the Alexandra, Clyde, Cromwell, Naseby, Ranfurly or Roxburgh townships must be kept on a leash.

Dog exercise areas

Owners may let their dogs play unconstrained in the following dog exercise areas, provided the dogs are kept under control by their owner or supervisor at all times:

Alexandra

• That part of the Alexandra Town Belt Recreation Reserve, between State Highway 85 and the Pine Lodge Motor Camp, and between the Alexandra Cemetery Reserve and Dunstan Road.
• That part of the Alexandra Pines, north of the electricity pylons and between State Highway 8 and the Clutha River, as well as the area between Molyneux Park and the Alexandra Golf Course.
• The Linger and Die area between Rivers Road and the Manuherikia River.

Clyde

• Sunderland Street road reserve between Orchard Street and Hospital Street.

Cromwell

• The land surrounding the Chafer Beetle Reserve, south of Cromwell.
• The small plantation between the Cromwell refuse tip and the Cromwell cemetery.
• The Pines area, bounded by Gair Avenue, McNulty Road and Flora Street.
• The Victoria Park reserve area on Alpha Street between the Ray Street intersection and Horace Street.

Naseby

• The eastern side of the Hogburn Creek, from the Hogburn bridge extending north to the town boundary (i.e., the unformed street known as Lomond Street).
• The area adjacent to the entrance of the Naseby refuse tip, off Channel Road.

Ranfurly

• The unformed area of Caulfeild Street on the southern boundary of the Maniototo Golf Course from Tyrone Street to Drumglass Street.
• Vacant land from the corner of Pery and Tyrone Streets to the eastern area of the showground and northern boundary of the Ranfurly Cemetery.

Roxburgh

• No areas defined to date.

No dogs allowed areas

To protect the health and wellbeing of others, dogs are prohibited from the following public places:

• children’s playgrounds
• designated playing areas of all sports grounds
• cemeteries
• school grounds
• swimming pools
• any premises used for the manufacture, preparation, storage or sale of food
• designated bathing areas of lakes or rivers during periods when daylight saving is in force
• town centres and retail areas
• any areas designated by the Department of Conservation or the Otago Regional Council in Schedule 1 (a) of the Central Otago Dog Control Bylaw - click here (pdf, 30kb)
  

These restrictions do not apply to working dogs carrying out their duties.

Dog enforcement

Are you having problems with a barking dog? Have you found a wandering dog? Has your dog been impounded? Have you lost your dog? If so, see below.

Barking dogs

After receiving complaints relating to persistent loud barking or howling of any dog, the Council’s contracted dog control officers (Armourguard Security) may:

• enter the property where the dog is kept (except the house), at a reasonable hour, to inspect the dog’s living conditions; and/or
• issue a written warning requiring the person to take all reasonable actions to cease the disturbance; or
• if necessary, impound a dog if a further complaint is received about continual barking or howling.

Impounding dogs

Dog control officers may impound any unregistered dog or any dog found wandering outside its owner’s property if it is considered to be not under control.

Residents may also seize a wandering dog and hand it over to the Council’s dog control officers.

Owners must pay a fine to have their dog released from the pound. Impounding fees may be set at different rates for registered versus unregistered dogs and may be graduated according to the number of impounding offences against the same dog. The impounding fees set by the Central Otago District Council are in accordance with the provisions of the Dog Control Act 1996 and the Central Otago District Dog Control Bylaw 1997 and was previously set out in the Annual Plan.  It is now available as part of each years LTCCP.

Infringement notices

Dog control officers may issue infringement notices (fines) in situations where the conditions of either the Dog Control Act 1996 or the Central Otago Dog Control Bylaw 1997 have been breached.

Lost dogs

If you have lost your dog it may have been picked up by or been handed to the Council’s dog control officers.

To contact the Council’s dog control officers click here