Council destroys homeless woman's dog despite offers to pay fees

By Ayla Yeoman

A homeless woman’s dog impounded during a police and council operation has been put down despite public offers to pay for his registration.

Tauranga City Council acknowledged there were offers but claimed the dog’s owner did not provide other registration details, and the dog was too aggressive to be rehomed.

Marley, a 10-year-old male hunting dog, was one of two dogs impounded due to being unregistered during the April 13 operation targeting people living in cars at Sulphur Point.

The council said this followed complaints about antisocial behaviour, illegal vehicles and dogs; as well as months of warnings.

Marley was living in a car with his owner, Samantha Bradley.

She and her liaison, Animal Justice Party Aotearoa NZ general secretary Danette Wereta, learned late last month that the council’s animal services team euthanised Marley on April 23, 10 days after he was impounded.

In her role as a liaison for Bradley, Wereta said she contacted the council shortly after the impoundment and confirmed funds were available to pay all required fees.

She said she struggled to get the council to recognise her as an authorised liaison, but after repeated requests, animal services agreed to contact Bradley on April 29.

“Shortly thereafter, Sam phoned me in severe distress, saying she had just been told that Marley had been killed.”

Wereta said the council then contacted her and told her authorisation had been received, and that Marley had been euthanised on April 23 because he had not been registered within seven days.

“I had confirmed multiple times that funds were available to pay all fees as soon as authorisation was formally acknowledged, something that was delayed solely by the pound’s obstacles.”

Wereta said she was told Marley had been deemed “vicious” and failed a temperament test.

She said there was “lots of online footage showing how social Marley is”.

Wereta has made an official information request seeking detailed information about the process the council took before euthanising Marley, “despite clear ongoing communication”.

She said she had also lodged a formal complaint.

“It is deeply upsetting that Marley ultimately lost [his] life due to human communication failures and procedural barriers.

“We should have been looking at the system and saying, ‘How do we use it to support Sam?’”

Supporter Victoria O’Sullivan said she was among those who offered to pay Marley’s registration.

“From Sam’s Facebook posts … I can see that he is very well-cared for.”

Bradley said in a public Facebook livestream on May 5 that she was “never going to register the dog”.

She acknowledged people offered to help with the fee, but said it was “irrelevant” because other local homeless people did not get the same offer.

Bradley said Marley was social and often played with children, and she questioned how he failed the temperament test.

She said she was seeking legal advice.

‘Exceptionally aggressive’

Tauranga City Council said in an unattributed statement that the Animal Services team approached the matter with care and compassion, and plenty of time was given to look at other options.

The council said Bradley and Marley became known to the team after repeated complaints about dogs at Sulphur Point.

It said dog owners there were given many opportunities to register their dogs.

“Marley had not been registered for around nine years.”

The council said when Marley was seized using a search warrant, a written notice was left explaining why he was taken, and that if he was not claimed and fees paid within seven days, the council could lawfully rehome, sell, euthanise, or otherwise dispose of the dog.

The council confirmed it received several offers from the public willing to help pay the outstanding fees.

“While these offers were well-intentioned, we could not accept them without the necessary information from Samantha to legally register the dog.”

The council said Bradley declined to provide that information or have Marley registered to someone else.

“She acknowledged the possibility that the dog could be rehomed or euthanised.”

Once the seven‑day legal holding period had passed, animal services assessed if he could be safely adopted, but found he was unsuitable because he had “an exceptionally aggressive temperament”.

“After careful consideration, the decision was made to humanely euthanise Marley.”

The council said the decision was reviewed and carried out in line with the law, council policy and standard procedures.

“It was not a decision taken lightly.”

It said the public and Government expected councils to use the Dog Control Act to manage aggressive dogs and ongoing non‑compliance, while also considering animal welfare and public safety.

“Balancing our enforcement responsibilities with compassion is something we take extremely seriously.”

It acknowledged the outcome would be “very upsetting for many people”.

The council said the animal services officers cared deeply about animal welfare and understood people’s emotional connection to their pets.

They encouraged dog owners experiencing hardship to contact the council early, and the team would try to find solutions.

The council did not respond to questions about what happened to the other dog taken in the April 13 operation, a puppy named Max.

Donations for registrations

Organisations working with homeless people in Tauranga have suggested anyone wanting to help can donate to the Community Vet Charitable Trust.

The trust was set up to provide animal care – vaccinations, desexing, flea and worm treatments – for people experiencing housing insecurity or financial hardship.

Under The Stars volunteer Ani Stace said the organisation worked with the trust, which recently started funding dog registrations.

“We respect that that is what the council requires. People should register their dogs.”

Stace said the trust received $700 of donations within the first 48 hours of asking its supporters.

Awhina House co-chairwoman Angela Wallace said this initiative was “a great outcome of this awful situation”.

Donations could help avoid pets being removed from homeless owners.

Wallace said a woman worried her two dogs would be taken after hearing Bradley’s story had received help to get them registered.

“It must be quite a lonely situation being homeless – having an animal, a companion animal, can offer a level of comfort,” she said.

A dog could also help with personal safety, especially for women.

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