Can Poor People Own Dogs in New Zealand?

As our oral submission to the Manukau City Council is Wednesday, 18:45, it's time to close the petitions. Please sign the online petition if you're living in Manukau and haven't signed it you. If you have paper petitions that you want us to pick up, please email.

As this petition has taken up some time, so we have been a bit slack in printing story. Unfortunately it's not due to the lack of them. So we hope to get back on track after this. If you have a story to tell, please tell us. Or if you know a friend with a story, just give us a phone number and we'll tell.

Meet the world's smallest dog: a rust-colored, long-haired Chihuahua, just over 500 grams and standing not much more than 10 centimetres tall.

And meet the love dog owners can have for their dog:

Gomes said a man in the veterinarian's office offered her $5,000 for Dancer when he found out the dog was an adult.

Gomes refused: "No way. You don't sell love."

Judge for yourself, is what this man had to endure reasonable? Is this just punishment for making a mistake?

This dog owner had a fully fenced property, somewhere in South Auckland. He lives with just his two friends, maxx and spook. At the point where we pick up the story these two dogs were just five months old. These man honestly believed he had to register when they were six months old. But the law is three months. Yes, the law is the law, and we'll see what the law will do to this man.

The puppies were his pride and joy, except probably when the wallpaper was being chewed and shoes getting stolen. On one day he came home is usual time, around 5.15pm. Parked in the drive way and expected the puppies to greet him. But no, the house was eerily quiet. He decided to check the letterbox. And there he found a note saying they had been impounded, because they were not registered.

Left here is Blackie. As can be seen, a puppy really. She was approximately 8 weeks when she was taken away. But why? Dogs only have to be registered when they are three months old. Who has the power in this city to take her?

The owners of Blackie were gentle with her, proud of their new little puppy. But also very ignorant of her needs. Blackie was roped to a tree with no kennel. The three provided some shelter from the sun, but not from the rain. The rope had chafed her neck. But some people really care about animals so when they spotted her, they made an appointment with the owners. They would bring a good collar and lead and discuss options for a free kennel or keeping Blackie in the laundry on a blanket.

When they returned the next afternoon, Blackie was gone. Actually, all dogs in that street had gone. DSS Animal Management had descended upon the street and all dogs in that street had been removed. Approximately seven of them.

As Poasa thought he was ready for a new dog, we went to the pound to see if they had a dog that might be suitable. There were some adorable dogs. Below two small puppies, six weeks old.

As these puppies are just six weeks old, they were not taken because they were not registered. They were abandoned. Yes, that's right. Such things happen. Not all people care about dogs. Some abandon them, some neglect them, some hit them. But this site is not about those people. And we will always need animal control officers and private citizens who care about animals.

Some people email us with comments like this:

Manukau City Council will consider submissions to its Draft Annual Plan 2007 starting the week of April 30. We have prepared a submission, but to make an impact we need as many signatures as possible the 600 to 800 ranges is a very good one. We will present the online petition, but we also created a paper petition. Paper works best actually.

So print the petition around and ask as many people as possible to sign it. The only restriction is that they must be citizens of Manukau City. Not necessary ratepayers, but they should live within the city boundaries.

This is the story of a dog who was on the verge of being taken. Taken just before Christmas. Probably to be killed on Christmas Eve. Except spelling and punctuation, this is the story as we received it.

I'm writing to say my story. Luckily it had a good ending due to me being rather persistent. I have had my dog for almost 9 years, registered for almost all her life.
Being that my book keeping isn't the greatest and no reminder was sent,
one month prior to Christmas I was advised the dog control had turned up and I had one day
to pay or they would take my dog away. If I hid her I would get a fine also and because I get paid monthly my dog would get put down by the time I was paid.

This is the story of Missy, a dog who was killed when about 10 months of age, in September 2006. And the story of a family who had to choose between food for the kids or freeing their dog.

Missy came to this family when she was about 5 weeks. She arrived from another family member, also living in Otara. She lived at the rear of the fully fenced property (see picture). She wasn't walked, but stayed at the rear. Hardly anyone knew she existed, just her family and a neighbour. She didn't announce she existed either, she didn't bark. She was a gentle dog, plopping at the rear. The family was close to her, especially a young boy in this family.

This is the story of how a dad can come home, and the family dog is no longer around, told by the dog himself.

Yes, I'm KC on the right. I'm sharing my home with the kids of my owner. He works long days and I guard the home for him. But while I'm OK with burglars, bureaucrats are different. And one day the animal control officers came for me. It was a Friday. I was in my fully fenced yard when they sneaked around the home. When they couldn't find a way in, they broke through the gate. I struggled to get away, and a wheelbarrow was overturned in the process. But they managed to subdue me.

What must my owner have felt? Friday is a long day for him, and as soon as he is home and has greeted the kids, he comes outside to see me. He must have run frantically around the yard, calling my name, when he didn't see me.

Thanks for all the people and stories we have received. We ran into a slightly delay getting some pictures for some stories we have prepared, but they will be put on the site! If you want to share your experiences with the Dog Registration law, good or bad, please do do.

Due to the Easter Holiday, this web site won't be updated for a week, so see you all next week!