Dogs. Everyone’s best friend. The one who insists it is time for a walk. The one who tells you that is definitely time for dinner. The one who loves to play ball. The one who puts his head on your lap and looks up with soulful eyes.
But also, the one who sometimes escapes surreptitiously, who chews your shoes, chases a child or heaven forbid trespasses onto a neighbour’s property and kills their hens.
There are rules and regulations concerning the ownership of dogs, one of which is that you must keep your dog under control at all times. A second bylaw insists that you must accept liability for any damage caused by your dog and pay reparation. Dogs over three months old are required to be registered with the Council and their tags must be attached to the collar at all times. Dogs in urban areas are required to be on a leash, and you need to clean up after your dog in public areas.
Since Covid the number of dogs in the South Wairarapa has increased.
South Wairarapa District 2019/20 2020/21 2021/22 2022/23
Number of Dog owners 1941 2022 2088 2086
Number of Dogs 3273 3388 3448 3493
Most people cherish their pets and they become one of the family.
Others are specifically trained to be sheep dogs, police dogs, retrievers, sniffer dogs, or minders.
And then there are those who have rocketed to stardom.
Toto, Lassie, Pongo and Perdita, Scooby Doo, Old Yeller, as well as Luath and Bodger from “The Incredible Journey”.
One of the most famous was Toto. Toto whose real name was Terry was abandoned as a puppy. But then she was adopted by Carl Spitz, the unofficial dog trainer of Hollywood, becoming a star in the Wizard of OZ.
In NZ the most popular dogs are Labrador Retrievers, followed by Staffordshire Bull Terriers, Border Collies, Mini Schnauzers, Shih Tzu, German Shepherds, Jack Russell Terriers, Golden Retrievers, Cavalier King Charles Spaniels, and Malteses.
