The Queenstown Lakes District Council is contemplating a new dog control bylaw, seeking community input on some key questions.
Regulatory manager Lee Webster said issues included how many dogs could live at one property and whether dogs should have their own places to exercise where they could run without being called to heel.
''The Dog Control Act gives the council a lot of choices in how it regulates dog ownership and behaviour, but there are four areas that we think are particularly relevant to our district.''
Those were whether dogs should continue to be banned from specific public places, for example, the Queenstown Mall and school playgrounds; whether dogs should have to remain on a leash in specified places, such as rural trails; whether there should continue to be a limit on the number of dogs which could be kept at one residential address and, if so, how many should be allowed as of right; and if there was a need for land to be set aside as ''dog exercise areas''.
Mr Webster said the answers would be used to help councillors decide whether to develop a new bylaw and, if they did, what that should cover.
The survey was available at www.qldc.govt.nz and would close on February 14.
Responses would be added to information the council already held, including the number of dog-related complaints, to help councillors make an informed decision.
