Pound information

2024/2025 holiday hours

Our dog pound will be closed Friday 20 December 2024 and re-open Monday 6 January 2025.

Our Animal Control Officers will be on call over this period for any urgent dog or stock issues, such as dog aggression, stock on roads, etc.

To report any urgent issues, please phone 0800 492 452. Request logged through other avenues will not be processed until Monday 6 January 2025.

The dog pound is where dogs are housed before being returned to their owner or rehomed. Once a dog is impounded, every attempt is made to contact their owner.

To have your dog released from the pound you will need to pay impounding fees to cover our costs of picking up and caring for your dog.

For pricing information including impoundment costs, please refer to our fees and charges.

Pound location

Ngaaruawaahia Pound

Opening hours: 3pm - 4pm Monday to Friday (not open on public holidays).

Address: 16 Brownlee Avenue, Ngaaruawaahia.

The pounds do not take payments such as dog registration, infringement fines and impound fees - these must be paid at a Waikato District Council Office.

Unfortunately you cannot contact the pound facilities directly, however, you can phone us on 07 824 8633 or 0800 492 452 to help or we can connect you with our Animal Control Team who administer both pound locations.

Contact your nearest council office

Has your dog been impounded?

Animal Control officers have the right to seize and impound any wandering dog. The dog owner must pay the impounding costs before a dog can be released.

Dogs that are unclaimed after seven days become the property of Waikato District Council and can be adopted out or put down.

For pricing information including impoundment costs, please refer to our fees and charges.

Aggressive dogs

See below for a step-by-step process from what happens once a report of an aggressive dog is received, through to the release of the dog from our pound or prosecution.

Incident takes place and an officer is dispatched

If an incident is reported, it is Waikato District Council’s priority to remove the dog from the situation to minimise risk to people and/or animals in close proximity while we assess the situation.

It is our policy is to seize all dogs that have attacked or has been perceived to have been aggressive.

If your dog is impounded

When your dog has been impounded, the Animal Control Officer will give you a seizure and impounding notice (section 69 letter) which will detail:

the reason your dog was removed,
the pound your dog has been taken to,
the date and time you have to claim your dog by.

Claiming your dog

You must go to the nearest Waikato District Council office and pay all fees owing by the date specified on the section 69 letter.

Once you have claimed your dog and paid all applicable fees and if an investigation is ongoing you may be given a section 71 letter. This letter advises that the dog may be retained under the Section 71(2) of the Dog Control Act 1996, pending the conclusion of an investigation.

If the incident is considered serious, Waikato District Council may decide to prosecute the dog owner or person in charge of the dog.

Applying to have your dog released

You may apply to get your dog released back to you by writing a letter addressed to the Animal Control team leader.

You must give reasons why the dog should be released and give an explanation of how you will prevent your dog from attacking or being perceived to be aggressive again e.g. fix gates, make them higher, padlock gates, etc.

Application for release is assessed

An Animal Control Officer will visit your property to inspect that it is safe, and the dog can be appropriately confined. They will advise you if further work is required to improve the chances of your dog being released.

The team leader will then take the property inspection, as well as the history of the dog and dog owner into account when making a decision regarding the risk to the public or property if the dog was to be released.

Release application approved

If release is approved you will be given aa letter stating the conditions that must be upheld in order for the dog to return to your property.

If you fail to adhere to the conditions of release your dog will be impounded again.

Dog released

You must go to your nearest Waikato District Council office and pay any remaining fees owing, such as the daily sustenance fees for looking after your dog, and confirm acceptance of the conditions of release, then your dog can return home with you.

What happens when you release application is declined

If the team leader declines your application for release of the dog, it will stay in the shelter until the investigation/prosecution has been finalised. You can appeal the decision.

You will need to pay the daily sustenance fees associated with your dog.

The file will continue to be investigated and reviewed by our legal team for appropriate action, and the Animal Control Officer or legal team will keep you informed of progress.

Having trouble paying?

We want to work with to get your dog home. If you are having trouble paying the fees, please contact your nearest Waikato District Council Office to discuss your options.

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