Papamoa councillor Steve Morris wants Tauranga City Council to bring forward a review of its dog bylaw because of his town's growing population.

The bylaw is not scheduled to be reviewed until 2018, but with 44,000 people now living along the coastal strip, Steve says confrontations with dog owners along the beach are a growing issue.

Beach dog Izzy at Papamoa. Photo: Stuart Mason.

Speaking after the City Vision Committee meeting this week, Steve said: 'I have spoken with a number of residents who have had dogs defecating next to them, and when they inform the owner of their displeasure they get told, in a series of colourful metaphors, to ‘get lost'.

'I have had that reported to me several times, and not by the same person.

'There's also a difference between a dog that's being friendly and one that has an anti-social owner that doesn't know how to act properly in public.

'It's really a very small minority of dog owners who have that attitude problem, but they need an attitude adjustment.

'And because society at large isn't able to provide that, perhaps the council, through some ability to fine or remove animals, has the ability to enforce that sort of thing.”

Dogs are currently banned within 200 metres of the Papamoa Surf Life Saving Club, and the same rules apply at the Omanu Surf Life Saving Club. They are also banned from the Mount Maunganui Main Beach.

'It's not a case of there needing to be new rules,” adds Steve. 'The rules we have provide enough scope for enforcement, but we don't have the enforcement ability because we don't have the staff to be able to patrol, for example.

'I really want to stress, it is an absolute minority of dog owners that are irresponsible when they are in public.

'They spoil it for everybody else. All it takes is for a member of the public to have one bad experience with a dog on the beach for them to say ‘we have a dog issue'. It paints all the other dog owners in a bad light as well.

'I think we have the tools in the toolbox as far as enforcement goes. Legislation provides us with the ability. The bylaw at this stage says dogs need to be under control.

'There's varying definitions of what under control is, but it certainly isn't jumping up on a child or biting another dog. That's not under control.”

Patrols by dog rangers have been labelled impractical because of the length of the beach, which stretches for several kilometres.

'Think how long our coastline is,” says Steve. 'The odds of coming across an incident with our staff are very small.

'Perhaps a crack-down at certain times may provide a suitable incentive. It's a tough one, but we need to look at it.

'The bigger we grow, the higher the population of people recreating with animals on the beach. This brings more scope for an altercation or an unpleasant experience to happen.”