Kennel attendants face heightened aggression and threats from the public
• March 26, 2025
Under the Animal Welfare Act 1999, animals must be kept in custody for at least seven days before shelters can conduct a temperament test to determine suitability for adoption. Photo: Haley Doig
Kennel attendants are facing a surge in aggressive behaviour from the public related to increases in dog impoundments and euthanasia rates.
Auckland Council’s animal shelter in Henderson reported 129 incidents in 2024 involving staff and threats to animal shelters. This was a rise from 112 incidents in 2023.
Shelter manager Emma Ginsberg says these numbers don’t include the day-to-day abuse or brief walk-in interactions that staff are subjected to.
“The level of aggression in people is heightened. We now have a buzzer to get in.
“There's Perspex up around the staff. We ask people why they need to come to our facility," she says.
“We're no longer a walk-through shelter, and we don't allow the public out the back for health and safety reasons.”
However, people have left Google reviews complaining the shelter's decision to close to the public for dog viewing has made the adoption process more challenging.
FOR THIS SOCIAL-MEDIA USER, THE ISSUE HAS MADE ADOPTING A DOG LESS ATTRACTIVE. IMAGE: SCREENSHOT
In February 2025, 191 dogs entered the Henderson Animal Shelter, 66.5 per cent of which were euthanised.
Selected staff are assigned euthanasia duties on a rotating schedule, ensuring they get a break from the work for at least a week.
“Some of the dogs that we're seeing are unworkable and unmanageable.
“We're euthanising dogs with a high level of aggression, trying to keep them off our streets and keep Aucklanders safe,” says Ginsberg.
Auckland Council offers staff hauora wellbeing and pastoral care, including a counsellor who visits the shelter every two weeks.
Throughout the day, staff can speak with the counsellor or they can organise a meeting in the weeks in between.
Ginsberg says some people blame staff for their dogs being impounded or euthanised, indicating a lack of owner responsibility and understanding of animal shelter processes.
On a South Auckland pets lost and found Facebook page, one user commented: “I have read shelters kill the dogs cruelly for crying, weeping, hungry. They kill them and put them in a black rubbish bag; some are thrown into a crate.”
However, Ginsberg says people are failing to socialise and control their dogs, increasing the numbers being sent to shelters.
“The dogs end up here, we euthanise them because they're not social and they're not safe to be put back out on the streets, and then we cop the flack for our euthanasia rates being high," she says.
“If you own a dog, be responsible with your dog. de-sex it, register it, vaccinate it, get vet care, and keep it safe behind your fence. If you love your dog, you want to keep your dog safe.”
To read more about retrieving impounded dogs, visit the Auckland Council's website.
You can report stray dogs via the Auckland Council form.
To adopt an animal from a shelter, visit the Auckland Council's page.
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