Gruesome footage has emerged of an impounded dog being shot with a bolt gun and then stomped on by a council animal control officer.
The video appears to show a dog restrained with its head between two bars in a yard at the Invercargill City Council's dog pound.
The dog is then shot in the head and an animal control officer appears to stomp on its head.
The footage was provided to animal welfare group Paw Justice a fortnight ago.
The council said the dog was not mistreated, and the officer was removing it from the equipment.
However Paw Justice's co-founder Craig Dunn said he was disgusted by the video.
"It's a dog being euthanised with a captive bolt gun and then the ranger sort of stomps or kicks the dog on top of the head four times.
"I've asked experts why it's been done and they can't give a medical reason."
Animal behaviour expert, Dr Elsa Flint, said the method the council was using was not humane.
"Using captive bolt as a method of euthanasia in dogs is unacceptable. It's not designed for that and should never be used. The most humane way of euthanising a dog is by lethal injection."
She questioned the officer's actions.
"To see that he kicked the dog I think about five times in the head after he'd used the captive bolt. Now, I don't know what his reasoning for doing that was."
Dr Flint also referred to the World Society for the Protection of Animals, which stated captive bolt guns were not acceptable nor were they recommended for euthanising dogs and cats, as other methods were more humane.
The council started using the captive bolt guns in April last year.
Chief executive Richard King said the dog in the video was not mistreated, but the officer was disengaging the animal from the equipment, he said.
Mr Dunn said captive bolt guns should not be an option for the council's animal control.
"When we're dealing with companion animals, the ideal way for myself and I think for many New Zealanders will be that the animal is taken to a vet, given a sedation pill and then it's euthanised by injection.
"The captive bolt gun is brutal. It can go wrong."
He said most councils use lethal injection, although some have opted for the captive bolt gun, "which I kind of disagree with".
He called for a nationwide policy on how local councils euthanise animals.
