Rīpoathia ina tautau rawa he kurī Report excessive dog barking

A noisy dog can distress and disrupt neighbours. We investigate complaints about excessive barking, howling or whining.

Before you make a complaint

Before you report a barking dog, consider the following:

• Is the barking or howling loud and persistent?
• Do you know the correct address of the dog owner?
• Is it safe to speak with the owner?
• Have you tried leaving a note in their mailbox.

Read more about the complaint procedure and see a letter template if you want to leave a note in a dog owner's mailbox.

If you have already spoken to the dog owner and the barking has not improved, if it is unsafe or you are uncomfortable to approach the owner, call us to report excessive barking.

09 301 0101

We:

• notify the dog owner of the barking complaint
• give the dog owner advice, information and encouragement to help prevent excessive barking.

If there is no improvement and we are notified that the barking is still a nuisance, we will investigate further.

This may lead to the dog owner being issued a nuisance abatement notice and other enforcement actions.

To report excessive barking, call:

09 301 0101

If we receive a complaint and our animal management officer has reasonable grounds to believe a dog’s barking or howling is creating a nuisance, we can:

• send a formal letter to the owner
• issue a barking abatement notice
• issue an infringement for breaching the barking abatement notice with a $200 fee
• impound the dog for breaching the barking abatement notice
• keep the dog until we are satisfied the owner will address the barking effectively
• prosecute the owner.

If we prosecute the owner for breaching the notice, the court can impose a fine of up to $1500.

For a list of infringement offences and fees, check the Dog Control Act.