One of the dogs Kāinga Ora says the family is not allowed to have. Photo: Supplied
An Auckland state house tenant is unfairly being forced to choose between her two dogs or a roof over her head, according to an advocate for the family.
The Favona family, a grandmother, mother and son own a pair of mixed breed dogs, which Kāinga Ora has told them to get rid of or risk losing their home.
They said they have been upfront from the start with the agency about having the dogs and there's been no complaints about Nema and Sophie.
An Animal Sanctuary that's helping them rehome the dogs says the family got into problems when they filled out a Kāinga Ora pet policy form and identified the dogs as Pitbulls even though they are mixed breed and not pure bred.
Kāinga Ora doesn't allow dogs that are classified as menacing under the Dog Control Act, which includes canines that are "wholly or predominately" American Pitt Bull Terrier, regardless of individual behaviour.
Anna Dahlberg, who runs Paws Awhile Animal Sanctuary, told Checkpoint the dogs were not menacing and were of unknown mixed breed.
"One of them certainly is a lovely Shar Pei cross, and her mother is some sort of mixed breed... if people can't put a name to [the dog], if it's some sort of mixed breed, they just sort of lump it into the category of Pitbull. But there certainly has been no DNA testing to show that these dogs are Pitbull."
Nema and Sophie are needing to find a new home. Photo: Supplied
Dahlberg said there have been zero complaints about either dog, adding their owner, La Heather, takes pride in taking care of the pair.
"They're fully house trained. They're very friendly.
"The house is clean and tidy, the dogs are clean and tidy, they do their business outside. She's done all the right things. They're vaccinated, flea and worm treated, registered and microchipped, and they are also awaiting desexing. So she really has gone the extra mile."
Dahlberg said the family has been open with Kāinga Ora from the beginning of their tenancy, making the state housing agency aware of their pets. But it was once they declared the breed incorrectly that problems began to arise.
"As I'm aware, Kāinga Ora originally was OK with it all and then from what I understand things changed when they found out the breed of the dogs.
"Just like everyone else, from what I understand, they wrote down Pitbull and that's where they've gotten themselves into trouble."
La cares for her elderly mother and is a single parent to her son, so has been left with no choice but to rehome the pair.
The family is now waiting on a tribunal date to hear the outcome of Kāinga Ora's decision, but Dalhberg said from what they've been told, it was unlikely to be a positive one.
"They've been told quite clearly that it's very unlikely that they will win the tribunal and that the dogs will need to be removed immediately."
Nema and Sophie need to find a new home after their family's landlord Kāinga Ora said they were not allowed. Photo: Supplied
She said if they were not able to re-home the dogs, the pair will have to be euthanised.
"That is just not an outcome we want. The dogs are highly attached to each other. They're mother and daughter, and they're very bonded. But they're also very bonded with their family and their family is very bonded with them."
In a statement this afternoon, Kāinga Ora said they advised the family early on that permission for two large dogs would not be possible due to the size of the property. It said it was working with the family.
Because the family told Kāinga Ora the dogs are Pitbulls it could not not give permission for the dogs to remain at the property.
It confirmed the tenants have been told to rehome the dogs and it that doesn't happen, Kāinga Ora said it will use to the tools it has available to get the dogs rehomed.
The agency appreciates that was not the decision the tenants wanted.
Dahlberg said Kāinga Ora should look at altering the way it deals with pets at its properties.
"[They should] look at it on an individual basis based on the people and how they're treating their dogs rather than based on the dog's breed."
