The other end of the leash: The abuse animal management staff face and myths about them

They love dogs, but often face angry owners, threats against their families and decisions no animal lover wants to confront. Herald reporter Rachel Maher rode alongside Auckland’s animal management officers and stepped inside the shelter to see life on the other end of the leash.

Galvin loves dogs.

As the Herald sat in the passenger seat of his ute during a patrol, the senior proactive manager with Auckland Council’s Animal Management revealed how hard it was to lose his own pet just two weeks ago.

“F*** off!” someone yelled, driving past us slowly as we followed a pit bull mix through a South Auckland suburb.

Galvin didn’t flinch.

“They think we hate dogs, that we want to kill all the dogs, but why would we do this if we did? Spend all our time trying to help people and their pets?”

Many officers quit within six months, he said. The most frightening parts of the job could come from either end of the leash.

Galvin says the most frightening part of his job can come from either end of the leash. Photo / Michael Craig

Once, a dog owner came at him with a hockey stick.

More recently, two colleagues found two dogs roaming outside a property and secured them on leads.

Galvin said a man ran towards the officers, verbally abused them, removed the dogs’ leads and threatened the officers’ lives.

Police and council security became involved. Galvin said the council understood the man had gang affiliations.

Animal management officer Galvin spends his days responding to roaming dogs, complaints and enforcement jobs across Auckland. Photo / Michael Craig

The officers were pulled from patrolling the area, which became a “no-go” zone while things settled.

Staff also faced abuse on social media and sometimes had to resist the urge to respond.

The biggest misconception about them, Galvin said, was that the people wearing the uniform didn’t care about the animals they sometimes had to seize.

“We’ve still got hearts as well. And we feel for dog owners.”

A day on the road can take animal management officers from roaming dogs to difficult conversations on owners’ doorsteps. Photo / Michael Craig

Before the Herald went out with Galvin to deliver infringement notices and chase down roaming dogs, we toured through the barren halls of the Manurewa Animal Shelter with manager Nikki Cripps.

Tiny yips from puppies mixed with the loud barks of bigger animals.

Behind the concrete and metal bars were dogs of all sizes and backgrounds, some waiting to be reunited with owners and others whose futures were less certain.

Cripps said the council was required to hold every dog for at least seven days.

“There is a misconception that we don’t treat them well when they do come in here. But we look after them. They’re fed well, we make sure they’re comfortable, pain-free.”

Some were roaming before being picked up. Those needing treatment were assessed by staff.

Dogs wait inside their kennels at an Auckland Council animal shelter. Photo / Michael Craig

The concrete floors and bars could give the shelter the appearance of a “dog prison”, Cripps acknowledged.

But for some of these pups, it might be the first time they were truly taken care of.

The “best time of their lives”, Cripps said.

The stark surroundings were also necessary to stop disease spreading between animals, whose medical and vaccination histories were often unknown.

“The reason that it looks this way, kind of like a concrete jungle, is for the safety of all the dogs in our shelter.”

Adding to the “prison-like feel” is the amount of security at the front desk, gate and throughout the shelter.

The concrete kennels are designed to help prevent disease spreading between dogs with unknown medical histories. Photo / Michael Craig

This was mostly to keep workers safe from angry owners, Cripps said, not their pets.

As well as threats to staff, angry owners sometimes took aim at workers’ families and even their own pets.

Cripps said officers and shelter workers had been assaulted and threatened while doing their jobs.

The toll had become significant enough that Auckland Council had a pastoral care worker dedicated to supporting the animal management team.

Cripps understood why emotions sometimes ran high. Dogs were often considered family members, while registration and impound fees could add financial pressure.

Regional Shelter manager Nikki Cripps says animal management staff face abuse and threats while doing their jobs. Photo / Michael Craig

Dogs generally ended up at the shelter because they had been roaming, involved in an attack or subject to other enforcement action.

Cripps believed misconceptions about what happened after a dog was picked up contributed to the hostility.

“There is that conception of, ‘Don’t call animal management, the dog will be killed, the dog will be euthanised’, and that’s not the case.”

Many roaming dogs simply went home once their owners collected them and paid the required fee.

Shelter staff care for dogs brought in after roaming, attacks and other animal management incidents. Photo / Michael Craig

Cases involving repeat offending or alleged attacks were more complicated, with officers having to consider whether releasing the animal while an investigation continued would pose a risk to the public.

Euthanasia was sometimes an outcome, Cripps said, but “that is not what we’re about”.

It was a job full of contradictions: affection and enforcement, wagging tails and warning notices.

Tomorrow would bring more roaming dogs, unfamiliar doors and difficult calls.

For the officers, the job was simple to explain but rarely simple to do: protect the dogs, protect the public, and hope the two do not come into conflict.

Rachel Maher is the education correspondent for the NZ Herald. She also covers other topics such as Auckland issues, crime and local government. She started at the Herald as a breaking news journalist in 2022, before joining the Auckland team this year.