Rotorua’s council has permanently removed its after-hours dog drop-off box from the Rotorua Pound for health and safety reasons.

It says it has joined others around the country doing the same due to concerns about aggressive dogs and the potential spread of illnesses such as the highly-contagious puppy-killing parvovirus.

The local SPCA ditched its after-hours box a decade ago, and the manager has described the boxes as having the “potential for disaster”.

Rotorua Lakes Council posted on social media the box would be removed on January 12 but a council spokesman later confirmed to Local Democracy Reporting it was removed early in error, on January 10.

A sign was put up advising dogs could be dropped off in operating hours or by prior arrangement

He said the decision was to ensure the health and safety of council staff and dogs.

Asked about the purpose of the drop-off box, he said “the name of the box accurately reflects its purpose”.

Given examples such as people dropping off dogs they could no longer care for, had found roaming and did not own, or something else, he said those could be among “a raft of reasons why someone would use an after-hours drop-off box”.

“It’s not the council’s role to decide or speculate on why people drop off a dog after hours.”

He said pounds across the country were phasing the boxes out due to concerns of aggressive dogs and the potential spread of illnesses such as parvovirus.

“There is also a risk for council staff when attempting to remove aggressive dogs from these boxes.”

Ultimately, he said it was the responsibility of dog owners to ensure their pets were fed, watered and properly secured.

On average, the box had been used about once a week throughout last year and he said the council had not received any complaints about its use.

In the year ending June 30, 2023, the team found homes for 80 dogs.

“While not all dogs can be re-homed due to the breed, temperament or health issues, the team tries to find new homes for as many as they can.”

Rotorua SPCA centre manager Lynne Gillies said it used to have separate dog and cat boxes, which were removed 10 years ago.

Gillies said the council’s reasons for removing the pound box made sense.

In her personal view, such boxes had “the potential for disaster”.

She believed it was a “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” kind of situation, in that she understood the purpose was to provide a safe and secure option for people surrendering animals, rather than leaving animals in a box dumped roadside.

But she said the possibility of something going wrong made it a “catch-22″.

Area manager for SPCA, Vivien Moore, said it did not use drop-off boxes for community members to surrender animals, nationwide.

Moore said it was a separate entity but worked collaboratively with councils to manage animal needs within the community.

“We do not have an opinion on the way they manage their entry process.”

Rotorua Pound has permanently removed its after-hours dog drop-off box. Photo / Andrew Warner.

Anyone no longer able to care for their animal was advised to first explore rehoming by reaching out to their family, friends, and local networks including social media community pages, Moore said.

“If none of these options are a possibility, members of the public can contact SPCA’s Rotorua Centre to see what support is available.”

She said the SPCA did not always have capacity “to take in healthy owned animals for rehoming” but its teams would always offer owners advice and support.

“The demand for support and assistance is high, and we have to ensure we stick with the core services for SPCA supporting sick, injured, and vulnerable animals in our communities.

Rotorua Pound dog drop-off

If you need to drop off a dog, you can still do so between 11am and 1.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Alternatively, contact Rotorua Lakes Council on (07) 348 4199 or via email at info@rotorualc.nz to make an arrangement with Animal Control.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.