The number of complaints, impounds and dangerous dog classifications have dropped, city councillors heard at a meeting last week.
In her report, Dunedin City Council animal services team leader Cazna Savell said between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 the team responded to 2110 dog-related complaints, 83 fewer than in 2023-24.
Most complaints were about wandering (36.6%) or "contained" dogs (19.4%), or aggressive behaviour (6.9%).
Barking complaints (28.2%) had dropped from 671 in 2023-24 to 595 in 2024-25.
Mayor Jules Radich said wandering dogs did not appear to be a problem in Dunedin but were "quite a significant issue" in parts of New Zealand.
"So we’re blessed with having most people paying registration fees, which is enabling us to have good staff, and they do a great job of managing the dogs in our city," he said.
Impounds in 2024-25 dropped to 134, from 160 the previous year, and as at June, the number of dogs classified as dangerous sat at 11, four fewer than the previous year.
However, 349 infringement notices were issued to dog owners, up from 334.
In the past year, one dog owner was convicted for breaches of the Dog Control Act 1996, resulting in a destruction order for two dogs.
Councils are required to annually report the administration of their dog control policy and practices and some dog control-statistics to the Department of Internal Affairs.
Councillors accepted the report.
Ms Savell told the Otago Daily Times the council was pleased with the government’s recent change banning the prolonged tethering of dogs, although it was unlikely to have a significant impact on Animal Control officers’ work.
The new legislation came into effect on Thursday, and prohibits tethering a dog by a rope, line or chain attached to a fixed point for extended periods where they suffer harm.
Some vulnerable dogs, like pregnant dogs or puppies, cannot be tied up at all, aside from exceptional cases.
"The SPCA takes the lead on issues of animal welfare, but we work closely with them while focusing on related issues such as dog registrations, nuisance barking complaints and wandering dogs.
"If we receive a nuisance barking complaint caused by the dog being tied up for too long, we will investigate the complaint but refer the welfare aspect to the SPCA for follow-up by their animal welfare inspectors," Ms Savell said.
Staff could also provide advice on appropriate containment methods and enrichment for dogs.
