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Have your say on dog control
Dog owners have an opportunity to have their
say this month on proposed changes to the
Christchurch City Councils dog control policy. A pamphlet outlining the suggested changes
is being posted out with dog registration forms
and will be available to the general public
through Council service
centres and public
libraries from 6 June. Feedback on the
changes must be with
the Council by 18
July. Comments can
be made by returning
the pamphlet freepost,
writing to the Councils
environmental policy
leader or through the
Have Your Say website,
at www.ccc.govt.nz/HaveYourSay The changes, which met the approval of the
Council at its March meeting, focus on making
regulations easier for dog owners to understand,
protecting popular beach areas from fouling,
increasing childrens safety and preventing dogs
from causing harm to sensitive wildlife areas. Some dog owners have expressed concern
that the new rules would prohibit dogs from
Christchurch beaches but the only change
to the existing policy is that dogs would be
prohibited from popular areas during the
months of daylight saving, says Mark Vincent, the
Councilfs Animal Control Officer. New signage
would be installed, clearly showing where dogs
were prohibited or required to be on a leash. Changes to the policy around children's
playgrounds have been suggested to make it
clearer that dogs are not
allowed near children's
play equipment. Council ecologist
Andrew Crossland
has been active in
encouraging the
Council to exclude
or restrict dogs from
several of Christchurch's
ecologically sensitive
areas. He says Christchurch
is known internationally for its wildlife and has
one of the highest bird populations of any
comparable area in New Zealand. Many birds
are vulnerable to disturbance and predation
because they nest, feed and roost on the
ground. Dogs can cause serious damage to
these populations. |