The registered owner was she was probationary after previous dog-related infringements. Photo: Supplied
An Auckland woman who tried to rescue three dogs abandoned in a filthy, rat-infested property says it's time to overhaul animal welfare laws.
Lesley told Checkpoint she learned about the dog's plight on social media and, once she saw the state of the house, she contacted authorities.
"The dogs were very skinny and looking incredibly scared, and the property itself was pretty much uninhabitable," she said. "The house had obviously not been lived in for some time.
"My understanding was the dogs were probably drinking toilet water. They were barking, they were crying and, at one stage, they were fighting.
"They didn't seem aggressive, they just seemed highly traumatised."
The dogs were eventually removed from the Buckland's Beach house by police and later euthanised.
Lesley said the SPCA and Auckland Council animal management couldn't legally remove the dogs, which underscored the need for new laws to allow animals to be taken from owners in similar situations.
"I was originally told that SPCA had been informed, and I couldn't believe an agency like them would leave the dogs there.
"I was told Animal Management weren't coming because they didn't have permission to enter the property, so I called the police at that stage.
"I just think it's appalling - I've since learned that SPCA and Animal Management don't have the power to uplift animals from vulnerable situations."
Auckland Council Animal Management acting manager Nicky Cripps said staff responded to the first complaint on 7 April by contacting the registered owner, who told them the dogs weren't abandoned and were being fed. They were unable to enter the house without a warrant.
A week later, after another complaint, Animal Management and police went to the property and took the dogs.
Auckland Council Animal Management and police went to the property after a second complaint and removed the dogs. Photo: Supplied
The owner was known to council - she was a probationary owner, which means she had past dog-related infringements - and Animal Management had visited the property in December. Two of the dogs had been impounded during 2024 and the owner had collected them from the pound on both occasions.
This time, the owner didn't respond, so the dogs were euthanised.
Kāinga Ora said it didn't learn about the dogs until the day the police removed them, but the tenant had permission for only one dog on the property and there were none, when the property was last inspected in May 2024.
Lesley would like to see changes to animal welfare laws, which is the subject of an online petition.
"Currently they don't really come from the eyes of the animal. They don't talk about them being sentient beings. It's really about management of those animals.
"The Animal Justice Party and what SAFE want are animals to have a voice.
She would like to see an independent commissioner for animals.
"If those situations arise like we've seen over the weekend with people abusing their dogs and being and videoed. Those animals can be uplifted and taken from those owners.
"Also the care that the dogs receive in the shelters, [to] help to rehabilitate those animals. They don't just get put to sleep."
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