HOW YOU HELPED TO SAVE LIVES
In September 2016 the Government announced a new national action plan for dogs in New Zealand. Part of this proposed law included a ban on animal shelters like the SPCA re-homing dogs based on their visual appearance.
This would have effectively condemned thousands of innocent dogs to death. So with your help, we started a petition that saw 60,000 New Zealanders fight for the lives of these dogs.
Two months after this announcement, the Government released the second tranche of proposals of the national action plan for dogs in New Zealand. Part of these changes meant the SPCA was no longer be prohibited from re-homing dogs based on the visual assessment of breed.
Together, we saved the lives of thousands of innocent dogs.
Instead, dogs classified under the Dog Control Act 1999 as menacing can be rehomed to people with a ‘high-risk dog owner license’. This change will save the lives of thousands of dogs and is a real success for animals in New Zealand.
However there are still areas of concern in the national action plan that the SPCA believes still need to be addressed.
Over the coming months the SPCA will continue to work with the Department of Internal Affairs and Minister Upston and will address areas of concern and areas for improvement with this proposal in the Select Committee process.
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WHAT WOULD THE SPCA LIKE TO SEE CHANGED?
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WHAT IS THE SPCA'S VIEW ON BREED-SPECIFIC LEGISLATION AND THE PREVENTION OF DOG BITES?
This proposed law change is part of an action plan the Government has rolled out in an attempt to reduce dog bites in our communities.
We know that dog bites are a major and complex societal problem - but that breed-specific legislation is not the answer. Worldwide, this has been categorically proven not to reduce dog bites.
The SPCA would welcome any evidence-based solution to helping this problem.
Our views are: