Dog Registrations Drop As Council Faces Struggles

Canine compliance has slipped in Invercargill, with city officials admitting that staffing issues and tough times are contributing to a rise in unregistered dogs.

At a council meeting on Tuesday, group manager of consenting and environment Jonathan Shaw acknowledged the problem. “It’s a challenge to actually keep a track of it. It’s also a particularly hard area to recruit to. We are having a few struggles there at the moment,” Shaw said. “We are aware of it. We do our level best.”

His comments came after councillor Ian Pottinger raised concerns about how many dogs may be flying under the radar. Pottinger, who had recently paid his own dog’s registration, said it would be easy for people to go unnoticed if their dogs weren’t causing problems.

Shaw noted that the council relies heavily on the public to register their pets. “We have seen something of a drop off in compliance, which we can possibly attribute to hard times,” he said.

A council report revealed that, as of 31 May, there were 634 unpaid dog registrations, totalling $62,155. That figure is expected to rise, with annual registration invoices typically sent out in June.

Council’s finance and assurance group manager Patricia Christie explained that collecting overdue fees can be difficult. “It’s hard to collect if the dog has died,” she said.

The total number of dogs registered in Invercargill currently stands at 9,257.

The issue of dog control has caused concern in the past. In August last year, deputy mayor Tom Campbell was unhappy when data about euthanised dogs was missing from a report. The council later confirmed that 38 dogs were put down in the 2023/24 period — an increase from 25 the year before.