Beware of the dogs - sheep attacked and people scared in Pātea, Taranaki
Roaming dogs have left some residents of a South Taranaki town too scared to walk their own streets, prompting a crackdown from the district council. Since the start of May, animal control staff have been called out to Patea 45 times, South Taranaki District Council (STDC) environmental services group manager Liam Dagg said. There are several hot spots where intimidating dogs are a problem for residents. Its only a matter of time before its dog versus child. Were well aware of that, Dagg said. Were not running away from this issue. There is an issue in Patea and were determined to fix it. READ MORE: * Property developer signals interest in snapping up historical building * Council changes bylaw to allow dogs in South Taranaki town centres * More sheep killed by dogs near Hastings The council has stepped up patrols and is prosecuting a dog owner whose pet was seen killing sheep. This signals a tougher approach from now on, Dagg said. The issue came to a head at a meeting of the Patea Community Board last week. South Taranaki deputy mayor Rob Northcott said it was time the council took tougher action. My partner took the grandkids for a walk and the dogs came out the gate. She had to do a massive detour to avoid them. We have people saying they cant walk around their own town, he told Wednesdays meeting. We are talking about a loss of animals and peoples safety. The fact is when peoples safety is at risk we need to re-look at our dog control policy and staffing levels, start police involvement a bit earlier. Is the dog control policy strong enough? It needs to be addressed. Board chair Jacq Dwyer agreed. People are prisoners in their own homes. Kent St resident Bill Rosewarne, who had attended the meeting, said he had had seven sheep killed in dog attacks this year and had rescued a postie and a neighbour from dogs. The animals were aggressive towards people, he said, including students getting off a bus at a nearby school. I stopped them bailing up the mail lady on her scooter. I came out with a hunk of wood and scared three of them off, he said. A couple of days later a woman across the road was mowing her lawns, and they bailed her up with her mower. Three of Rosewarnes pet sheep were killed or euthanised after dogs attacked them on Friday, July 10. One animal was bitten so deeply he could see its spine. I saw the dog on top of him, eating the back of his neck, he said. When I wake up in the morning thats the first image in my head. Its not very nice. The remaining ewe and three lambs were grazing in his back yard while he found somewhere safe for them to go instead of the small paddock he has used for animals for eight years. Dagg said the council is prosecuting the owner of the dogs involved in the attack on Rosewarnes sheep, which police attended. A German Shepherd dog was confiscated.. The council would ask the judge to disqualify the owner from owning or possessing any dogs as one of the measures sought through the court process, he said. The council was also looking at its resourcing for animal control and considering a specific dog bylaw for the area. In the past, the council has taken a softer approach when there were issues, he said. Thats just not working for that community, so well be changing our approach this prosecution is the first step. Apart from Patea, dog-related complaints across the district were reducing.