The time has come to seek changes to our outdated and harsh NZ 1996 Dog Control Act for the better of all dog owners for generations to come.

Under the Act if your dog "attacks a person, stock, poultry, domestic animal or protected wildlife, then, on conviction of the owner, the Court must order its destruction unless the circumstances of the attack, not those of the attacker, are exceptional". Attack can simply be chasing, it does not have to mean a violent death or savagery. 

It has become apparent that our current dog laws are simply inhumane. Once Animal Management choses prosecution the only outcome can be Mandatory Destruction of your dog. Exceptional circumstances it has been widely agreed are impossible to meet. The bar is too high.

There no longer exists (after the Council v Hill decision in March 2020) any leeway for rehoming, retraining or any sort of rehabilitation. Nor do references, behaviourists reports or petitions count. Neither does it matter whether the incident was minor (superficial) or major or even a first incident, death is the outcome. We live under the false belief that Animal Management has a tiered system of labelling dogs Menacing, Dangerous, then prosecution. This is not the case. You do not necessarily get a second chance 

Every year nearly 500 prosecutions occur, costing  millions because Animal Management has bottomless taxpayers pockets. Was every case  necessary? No. 

Owners are dragged through court, vainly trying to save a loved member of their family when the laws are completely stacked against them. It tears families apart, it causes depression, breakdowns, alcoholism and takes people to the brink of suicide. It also affects the longterm emotional wellbeing of adults & children alike. On top of all this is the crippling financial costs as families do what they can to save their loved pets. 

There is a place for euthanasia but it must be a last resort rather than a first. It must be for vicious attacks only. Valuable, beautiful dogs are needlessly dying because they made a mistake.  Domestication cannot overcome the compelling need in a dogs DNA to sometimes ignore owners and chase for fun or respond the only way they know how with a bite when they feel threatened. Cats roam daily killing and we accept it as a society. Why then are we demanding a dogs death for a once in a lifetime occurrence doing exactly the same on many occasions as cats do. We must eliminate Mandatory Destruction as the only outcome of prosecutions.  Please lend your support by signing this petition so we can make a necessary & valuable change. Thank you on behalf of Aspennz & Dogs Lives Matter NZ.