Council clarifies dog control rules with new bylaw

A new dog control bylaw and policy, adopted by Council today, aims to clarify the responsibilities of dog walkers in public spaces.

“The bylaw provides more guidance about the rules for walking dogs in some of our open spaces, such as sports grounds, rivers and reserves. It also gives more detail on where dogs can play without a lead,” says Kāpiti Coast District Council Environmental Standards Manager, Jacquie Muir.

“Some spaces in our District call for better dog control than others because they’re either an important habitat for wildlife or culturally significant.

“While the previous policy and bylaw required dog walkers to keep their dogs on a lead in these spaces, the new rules will give more clarity on where these places are and why there are restrictions.”

Ms Muir says the bylaw is also about keeping our public spaces clean and tidy and makes it clearer that not cleaning up your dog’s faeces is an offence and can result in a fine.

“We received about 100 submissions from people and community groups during our consultation on new rules last year. We’re confident they strike a good balance between protecting our public spaces without unnecessarily restricting the freedoms of dog owners.”    

“Over the coming months we’ll be running a full information campaign on the new rules, which will include signage in public areas, communicating with dog owners, and more information on our website.”