Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

Hi Everyone,

I'm new to this forum - we today got news that we've got our application approved in principal :) Some celebrating later he he! Wow, I'm SO glad the time has finally come!

The reason for my post is that now we're all set we have to work out where to live. Although I've read lots of postings on here about diff suburbs etc, none are exactly what we're looking for. We want a dog-friendly area with off-leash exercise areas, close to town - no kids so schools are unimportant. Wouldn't mind a place with a few bars / restaurants, but not fussed as long as they're easily accessible from wherever we live (you know what it's like trying to get home from work in order to let the dog out, then having to get back into town?!)

We have checked with the Council and the following areas have dog friendly beaches, but may be a little out of our price range or maybe they're not nice neighbourhoods?! (no way of knowing from this side of the world!). We're considering:

Houghton Bay, Island Bay, Lyall Bay, Evans Bay, Weka Bay, Little Karaka Bay, Kio Bay.

I figure some of these could be out of our price range, but we don't really want a commute, and with pets are hoping to arrange our accommodation in advance. We've heard Porirua is not recommended, but how about Titahi which is nearby, or Makara Beach / Ohariu / Opau / Oteranga & Cave Bays (they look a bit out of it on the map, but is it OK for commute / professionals? Is it in the sticks? lol). Also heard nice things about Raumati Beach (is this too far away?). We think Waikanae and Paraparaumu are also too far out for us.

Any ideas from other dog owners in Welly - don't want it to be a pain to walk our pooch as she loves the beach too?! :D There are no more dog-friendly beaches so we can't look at any other areas and are moving to NZ for the beachy lifestyle, so don't really want to move inland if we can help it.

Any comment on the above areas and their pros / cons would be most appreciated. Also, would be nice to get to know other dog owners on here for when we arrive. Our Patterdale loves making new friends :-)

Thanks for ur input everyone, it's truly appreciated.

All the best,

Dawn

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

Hi Dawn - I have a 4 yr old german shepherd, The Beautiful Bruno. We lived for 2 of his years in the western hills above Lower Hutt - was great for dog walking - there is a year round dog exercise area on Petone Beach where dogs can be let off the lead and it is possible to walk along the Hutt River from the harbour at Petone right up the valley to Upper Hutt - think you may be able to get over the Rimutakas to Featherston on the same trail - would take hours to do the whole walk - providing you keep between the stop bank and the river, dogs can be let off the lead - if you walk on the top of the stop bank they have to be leashed. Those were our main areas but there are others.

Lyall Bay is also a year round dog exercise area - although it doesn't take long to walk the length of the dog area - probably no more than 15 mins there and back, there are usually other dogs there - all well-socialised and lots of owners stop and chat and the dogs exercise themselves!

There are also town-belt trails all round Wellington - I have a feeling dogs should be leashed but, providing you're considerate, it seems to be ok - I've never had a problem.

Whereabouts are you going to work - if you will be in Wellington City and need to get back to let dog out at lunchtime, you probably need to be in Miramar, Kilbirnie, Lyall Bay, Island Bay, Kingston, Berhampore, Newtown, Vogeltown, Mornington, Brooklyn, Hataitai, for example. But Wellington is not a large place, so other suburbs would work. I sell real estate in Wellington - if you'd like to PM me, I can give you more information - as you say, your budget will dictate where you can look for a home.

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

Don't forget to register your dog with the local council within 28 days of the dog landing and to always have the licence tag on the dog at all times when out and about!

You can also get the microchip registered at the Australasian Animal Registry so that if your dog gets lost, they'll return it to you in NZ and not your old address in the UK!

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

Do these sort of restrictions on where you can walk only apply to the major cities or does each smaller town apply some similar?

I'll be bringing 2 Beardies with me in August, and looking to live somewhere up the Kapiti coast. They need a fair amount of walking, but are so hairy that I don't want to only be able to walk them on the beach....they'll spend all their lives being showered :(

Laurence

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

The best place to find out all the restrictions on dogs is the local council's website. Now, don't be entirely disheartened by what you read there, as I was and left one of my dogs behind. I now wish I'd brought him, as what I read and what is reality, is actually two very different things.

Auckland City is quite strict and I've seen people get fines for not having their dog on a lead.

Waitakere City on the other hand is more lenient and provided you have a lead with you and the dog is under COMPLETE voice control, that is deemed as being acceptable.

There are off leash parks and beaches, but you may need to enquire at the council directly to find out where they are.

Also be aware that most councils will also fine you for walking your dog without a poop bag in your pocket - saying you've used it already and are unlikely to fill another will fall on deaf ears!

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

Oh, just remembered something else too that may be of interest. You can get a reduction on your dog registration licence fee by having your dog neutered and also by sitting a small 20 question test. If you pass this, you are granted the Responsible Dog Owners' Licence and the fee becomes much, much cheaper.

There are calls by the Kennel Club to phase this out and implement the Canine Good Citizen scheme instead where the dog itself is tested, rather than the owner, but nothing has been set in stone yet and the dates for bringing it in are pushed back and back (it should already be in use!). Those who already have the RDO will be able to retain it, so dog owners would be well advised to get one asap!

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

Thanks, that's sounds a bit less daunting. Think I'd better get on the RDO scheme before they bring the new one in....they can pass the "neutered test" without much trouble, but they might have problem with 20 questions (although Beardies are supposed to be intelligent ;) )

Laurence

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

Whatever you do --take note that up here in Rodney District Nth Auckland --if you are a dog owner you are classified as on a lower star rating than the Yorkshire Ripper or Fred West

Re: Calling all dog owners in Wellington
 

I agree, certainly in Wellington the Council's dog information leaflet is a good starting point, but when we moved from a rural area to one of the suburbs, I started with the designated areas and then asked fellow dog walkers I met where they walked and quickly found the areas which, although not strictly dog exercise areas, have so few people in them without dogs, that they are usuable with sensible dog control - I understand my shepherd aka "My Little Pony" can look like a monster to non dog owners/lovers!

There was a sea change of attitude towards dogs a few years ago when a young girl has horribly mauled in Auckland which is why Auckland seems to have far more stringent dog laws than other places - I've found Wellington to be ok and there are enough areas where you can legally let your dog off the lead all year round.

Yesterday, I started a warm sunny day at 8.00am by walking along the Ngaio Gorge Track - 45 mins there and back - along the Kaiwharawhara stream to the point where it disappears into a small rock canyon - surrounded by native bush - really peaceful - didn't meet another person the whole 45 mins and it's only a few minutes from the CBD in Wellington City!