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Auckland Council has launched a new campaign to address the city’s growing problem with roaming dogs, using emotive advertising to urge dog owners to take responsibility for keeping their pets contained.
The “For you, your dog, and your neighbours” campaign includes radio and television ads that highlight the consequences of letting dogs wander, from frightened residents to animals injured or impounded.
The council receives around 15,000 reports of roaming dogs annually, with more than 1200 attacks on people and a similar number on other animals. Council’s Licensing and Compliance general manager Robert Irvine says the problem won’t go away without change from dog owners.
Only half of all impounded roaming dogs aren’t claimed by their owners, meaning those that can’t be rehomed have to be humanely euthanised, Irvine says.
In the 12 months from July 1 2024-June 29, 2025, the council impounded 10,141 dogs. This is a significant increase on the 2024/2025 financial year, when 8306 dogs were impounded across the three shelters.
“We are throwing all the resources we have at this problem, but we need dog owners to play their part,” he says.
The campaign’s creative concept aims to connect with dog owners’ personal motivations for keeping their dogs contained and shows how roaming dogs are affecting communities from three different viewpoints.
The first TV commercial features an Animal Management staff member in a council shelter and shares the story of an impounded dog not claimed by its owner.
Regulatory and Safety Committee chair councillor Josephine Bartley, says roaming dogs can have a real impact on communities.
“Too many dog owners think it’s okay to let their dogs have a wander. It’s not. We have kids scared to walk to school and people living alone who don’t want to leave their homes in case they get bitten,” she says.
The campaign is funded through infringement fees from unregistered dogs and although region wide will focus on high-risk areas in South and West Auckland. It is part of a wider strategy that includes desexing, registration drives, increased shelter space and advocacy for law reform.
