Suburban bitches cause problems

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33516, 23 April 1974, Page 1

Suburban bitches cause problems

Wandering dogs, in packs and individually,: and particularly at! night, are a relatively; common cause of complaint in Christchurch. The causes of the wandering are frequently bitches in heat owned by other citizens. As the law stands, there is nothing to stop a citizen owning an unspayed bitch Which is on heat, and attracting male dogs from a radius of many hundreds of yards, and then complaining about the dogs the bitch has attracted. Dog rangers say that some ; restriction on the ownership [of unspayed bitches in resiIdential areas must be ; brought in by local bodies i sooner or later. The animals ’are one of the main causes of residential area dog probTems. they say. Once a male dog gets the scent of a female in season

l, trouble starts, the rangers Isay. Normally well-behaved jmales will slip collars, jump jover or dig under fences and leven break chains in their ■ idesperate attempts to reach the females. If they are unable to get free, they will * often cause complaints by i almost non-stop vocal expression of their frustration. .- Many owners of unspayed bitches in city areas do not keep the dogs for breeding. In some local bodies, there has occasionally been talk of banning unspayed bitches in city and suburban areas because of the problems they ' create, but it has never gone ; much further than talk. Remits seeking higher registration fees for un- > spayed bitches — but not > for spayed animals • — have , got as far as the Counties’ > Association in the past, but ; the proposal has never gone ; beyond this. > Christchurch veterinarians - say that many owners of bitches believe that it is best ! for the dog to have one litter i of pups before being spayed,

but there is no real foundation for this belief. It does mean, however, that the bitch may be on heat two or three times be-i fore bein gspayed: mating is; not recommended the first | time the young dog is in sea-! son, and may not succeed the ! second time. An unspayed bitch comes! on heat twice a year, usually! about every six months, and: remains in season for about I three weeks. During this | time, the scent emitted will j attract male dogs from up to half a mile — if the wind is right — over an area of several blocks in most suburbs. Having a bitch spayed 'costs $lO to $l5. but veterinarians say there is another i-wav bitch owners could stop ;their animals being a nuiisance: deodorising tablets are i available which, when fed to ;the bitch, stop the emission ijof the attractant. There are ■also contraceptive tablets ■available which put the bitch ■ [off season completely. ,i Unfortunately, the veteri-

narians say, not enough bitch owners are aware of the availability of these tablets, and the resulting situation is i unfair to the owners of male ; dogs. i Few bitch owners, of icourse, are willing to meet ■ the 50c to 60c a day cost of Shaving their anima] kept in ;! kennels during her season. All councils in the Christi church area now have dog 'control laws which ban the [animals from public places—[which includes streets—unless they are under “continu[ious control.” Dog rangers jsav that the only thing the i owners of male dogs can do ’when a bitch in the area is l ! on heat is to keep their ani--imals chained or confined—r,and hone they stay that wav. ■> Local body men generally - seem to favour a restriction or ? I unspayed bitches in residential areas, but permission fo: a-any such control measures ejmust come from the Governslment: it is not just up to the h'local bodies. “There is.a need for a ver i-i critical look at this.” th<

Mayor of Christchurch (Mrj N. G. Pickering) said yesterday. “There is a need for :some control.” The chairman of the Heath-; !cote County Council (Mr J. I .Somers) agreed with Mr! I Pickering: “These dogs are a ! ! nuisance.” he said. ! The Mayor of Riccarton; [(Mr R. W. J. Harrington) said 'that his council had a by-law 'banning bitches on heat from streets and public places, but iagreed on the need for con’trol. “People who own dogs ihave got to take every pre-! 'caution to see that they are not a source of annoyance,”; he said. Meanwhile, until the laws; are changed, Christchurch .'residents are free to keep a ’bitch in heat on their properties, attracting male dogs Jfrom a wide area. .( Dogs in search of the • I bitches can be expected to • Icontinue roaming the streets, ,;and owners of male dogs can /continue to exnect normally ' well-behaved animals to dis- - anpear for da vs at a time in search of female favours.