The council says too many dog owners are failing to take responsibility for their pets. (File photo) Photo:
Irresponsible dog owners should expect to face consequences, Auckland Council has warned.
The council said it had prosecuted 611 dog owners over the past five years for bites, maulings and other attacks.
A New Lynn dog owner was most recently sentenced to 70 hours of community service and ordered to pay $500 in reparation after their rottweiler seriously injured a pedestrian in October 2023.
The passerby was left with a 15 centimetre wound that required surgery.
"Too many dog owners are failing to take responsibility. We are seeing a rise in serious attacks, and its clear many owners don't care, or don't believe they'll be held responsible," Auckland Council's general manager of compliance Robert Irvine said.
"Let us be clear: they will. Owning a dog comes with a duty to ensure the safety of the community. If you can't meet that duty, you shouldn't own a dog."
The renewed warning comes as dog attacks surge.
In 2020, the council logged just under 2000 dog attacks.
But between June of 2024 and June of 2025, almost 3000 dog attacks and 15,000 roaming dogs were reported to council.
A roaming dog seen in South Auckland earlier this year. (File photo) Photo: Nick Monro
The council attributed the rise in attacks to a decline in desexing and a boom of dog ownership following the Covid-19 lockdowns.
"Some of these injuries are gruesome. They leave physical and psychological scars," head of prosecutions John Kang said.
"What's worse is that many of these incidents are entirely preventable - they often happen when owners fail to control their dogs or turn a blind eye to aggressive behaviour.
"We will continue to prosecute where criminal action is justified under the Solicitor-General's Prosecution Guidelines."
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