The Government is cracking down on the prolonged tethering of dogs, with progress being made on new regulations targeting owners who fail to properly care for the needs of their dogs.

“I’ve been hearing a lot from members of the public who want to see action taken, and the SPCA tells us this is one of the issues they receive daily calls on,” Associate Agriculture Minister Andrew Hoggard says.

“I know strong animal welfare standards are important to New Zealanders, and we have a level of companion animal ownership which is among the highest in the world.

“When I came to office, officials provided me four proposed regulations.

“I was concerned they couldn’t be enforced and it wouldn’t lead to better outcomes for dogs that are tethered for unreasonable periods of time.”

Hoggard says he directed officials to work with the SPCA to improve the proposals, taking into account input received during public consultation.

He recently took the new proposals to Cabinet and is pleased his colleagues have supported them.

“These are very important regulations, and we needed to take our time to ensure the best outcomes,” Hoggard says.

“Most dog owners in New Zealand treat their animals well and these regulations will have little to no impact upon them.

“The new regulations will provide animal welfare inspectors with the tools they need to intervene quickly when they identify a dog that’s suffering harm as a result of being tied up for long periods.

“I’m confident these regulations will result in better outcomes for those dogs.

“We have a few steps to follow to get these proposals ready to become law, but it’s my expectation these will be finalised by the end of the year.

“That will be followed by a short period with a focus on education so all dog owners understand their obligations and to allow those who need to make changes time to adapt.”