Friday 8 April 2016

Dog owners may see some changes to the rules

Christchurch and Banks Peninsula dog owners may soon see some changes to the rules for their pets and rural working dogs.

A hearings panel made up of Councillors David East and Andrew Turner, and Community Board member Islay McLeod, has been considering issues raised by more than 250 submitters on the proposed new Dog Control Policy and Dog Control Bylaw.

This week, the panel has been considering the issues raised in submissions, and is recommending some changes to the proposed policy and bylaw. The recommendations will be considered by the full Council in May, and, if adopted, the bylaw will come into force on the first day of spring, 1 September 2016.

The major changes to the general rules for dog owners include:

• Requiring dog owners to carry plastic bags to clean up dog poo when in public places.

• Refining the definition of 'under effective control', making it clearer that when dog owners have their dog off-leash in a public place they must be aware of where their dog is and what it is doing, ensure that the dog is responsive to commands, and that it is not creating a nuisance.

"Deliberations went smoothly and we're very happy with these recommended tweaks to the bylaw and the policy in response to the community's submissions," says Councillor David East, Chair of the hearings panel.

"We're very keen to encourage a culture of good dog ownership in Christchurch, and although many dog owners are very responsible and respectful, keeping our city and rural areas clean and safe requires the efforts of every single dog owner. The new requirement to carry plastic bags should mean more people pick up after their dogs, and the new definition for 'under effective control' should help to ensure we have well-controlled dogs."

Residents in Christchurch City currently have to seek a licence to own more than one dog, and it was proposed to extend this requirement to Banks Peninsula. The panel is still recommending extending this to Banks Peninsula, but is changing the requirement across the whole district so that it will be owners with more than two dogs who have to seek a licence. This requirement will only apply to smaller properties (under one hectare, or 10,000 square metres), as proposed, as this is where neighbours and dogs are likely to be in close proximity and where the potential for dog-related issues is higher.

In response to submissions, the panel is recommending creating a new dog registration category for 'rural working dogs'. This category is broader than the strict definition for working dog in the Dog Control Act and recognises that dogs that are well-trained, actively contribute to farming activities and largely remain on-farm, do not cause a regulatory burden. This means they can be subject to lower registration fees than other dogs.

This joins other changes which recognise that rural issues are different to urban issues, including some extra exemptions that have been added for working dogs while they are being worked.

The major changes to rules about where you can and can't take dogs include:

• Central City: Allowing leashed dogs in Cathedral Square, Victoria Square, New Regent Street and Cashel Mall – where dogs are currently prohibited (as proposed).

• New Brighton: Allowing leashed dogs in New Brighton Pedestrian Mall (as proposed).

• Hagley Park: Requiring dogs to be leashed only on sealed paths in Hagley Park (instead of all paths, as proposed), as well as on two busy sections of perimeter gravel path (from Harper Avenue to the Armargh Bridge in North Hagley Park, and the section of gravel path alongside Deans Avenue, Moorhouse Avenue and Hagley Avenue in South Hagley Park). Dog owners can continue to use the rest of Hagley Park as an off-leash area.

• Summer beach prohibition: Extending the summer beach prohibition in all areas from 1 November – 31 March (it is currently 1 December – 1 March) to reflect when beaches are used and when surf lifesaving clubs patrol beaches. This applies to specific swimming beaches, not to all beaches.

• Akaroa: Reducing the Akaroa beach prohibition from year-round to summer only (as proposed), but incorporating the longer 'summer' dates of the new summer beach prohibition.

"The proposed policy strikes a nice balance between ensuring peace of mind for the wider public, and making the rules easier to understand for dog owners," Cr East says.

"For example, there have been some misconceptions that leashed dogs aren't allowed in the Central City, when in fact they have been for the most part – it's just been a few key areas where they've been prohibited. The proposed changes mean that this prohibition will be lifted, so that there's one easy-to-understand leashed rule for the entire Central City, which will make life a lot easier for dog owners."

The current (2008) Dog Control Policy and Bylaw will remain in force until the Council makes its final decision on the proposals in May 2016.

- ends -

© Scoop Media