“Remember a dog wakes up in the morning and says ‘Hi I am a dog.’ We humans say ‘you are a particular breed and you will behave in a particular manner.’ This statement is not true. We influence how our dog behaves. It relies on us for direction.” Jim Aitken 2016
Spending “35 and a bit years” as an animal control officer Jim Aitken talks about retirement and plans for the future.
“It was time for me to step aside. My heart was really working with the dog owners and out in the field. The position of senior animal control officer had become more of an administrative one with a strong IT requirement that I didn’t feel I could provide adequately to the Council.
“They have got an excellent field team that I was privileged to work with. I felt that stepping aside meant that younger members in the team could advance and the skills would remain in the NP Council area. I haven’t regretted it but I miss it dearly!”
“Picking up part time work truck driving is what I want to do. I love driving trucks which is what I started off doing before becoming an animal control officer.”
Family time has always been important for the New Plymouth man. Jim and Lynn have been married for 14 years. Between them they have six children and currently 13 grandchildren.
“Lynn and I have purchased a camper van that we wish to live in for an indefinite period of time and travel around working. Spending more time with the children and grandchildren is also important.
“We would dearly love looking after houses obviously specialising in small farms or farmlets. Anyone who wants their house looked after for a period of time is welcome to contact us. We get the advantage of cost free living and people get the advantage of someone caring for their pets and animals at home and protect their property while they are away.”
Jim has managed to refrain from taking many animals home with him over the years and currently has a rescue cat.
“Our dog sadly passed away. She was an old dog and the hurt is so strong is that I can’t replace her at this stage. Never say never though.
“We have a rescue cat from the SPCA that has been amazing. Her and the dog became friends after three days and would eat out of the same bowl. She is now living in the motor home with us and has adapted and is quite at home.”
Over his career Jim has had farm garden implements waved around his head, been threatened with broken bottles and had a rifle poked into his nose. He has had many threats and much abuse yelled at him as well as one instance where a disgruntled dog owner came to his home.
“I found that over the years the job was extremely rewarding because the people that abused you were in the heat of the moment and it was over in a few minutes but frequently over the years I would be approached by people who would say I am so and so and our dog did this and you helped us. They come back and it is absolutely magic.”
Jim has also seen the generosity of a lot of people that have bought boxes of chocolates and even written letters to the Mayor stating what a great job the animal team does.
“For me personally seeing the children reunited with a dog is quite priceless as it is their sibling, part of their family and if I’ve been able to help reunite them with their dog it has been a very, very rewarding day.
As senior officer on the animal control team Jim has always ensured that the focus is on education of the dog owner rather than punishment of the dog where possible.
“If the seriousness of the situation was that other people or animals were at risk we would remove the dog.
“Sadly the people that often chose not to register their dog don’t register their car and don’t comply with a lot of requirements of society. I think encouraging people to become a good dog owner improves the quality of their time with their dog and their enjoyment and the quality of the dog’s life.”
Starting out as the “dog catcher” in 1979 for the Inglewood County Council as a hydatids and dog control officer seems unbelievable to how the job has changed over the years.
“I was successful in getting the job so I changed from being away working long hours driving trucks to being home. It was great I was now at home at night and weekends.
“The job was challenging in so much as you were treating dogs for the hydatids disease, keeping stock off the road keeping track of dogs and dogs’ instances. Also pest control work like rabbit and hare control.
“It has evolved from being the dog catcher to a highly professional requirement to be an advocate for animals and for the safety of people in the community. It’s become very difficult to reach that balance where you have to protect the public from any harm but also give the animal the fairest treatment you can. Sadly it’s so often an owner problem and not an animal problem. People don’t want to learn and that is sad.”
One instance that has stuck in Jim’s memories over the years is a case of a dog chasing cars on a country road. After approaching the farmer and discussing it Jim was told the farmer would contain his dog. However it wasn’t long before Jim was back and totally unprepared for the answer.
“I went back again to speak to him. I said to him do you realise that under the Dog Control Act if your dog caused an accident you are liable for all the damages someone could sue you for the damage to their car. I suddenly had his attention and he was going to sort it out.
“I couldn’t believe it a couple of weeks later I got further complaints about the dog chasing cars. I went around and saw him and said you were going to sort it out. He said ‘Yes I sorted it. I went and checked on my insurance and it adjusted that if any of my dogs or stock cause accidents I am covered.’
“Unfortunately within another couple of weeks the dog was run over and killed so the problem was dead in the water.”
In the 80’s there was a large number of wasp nests around and Jim spent many hours locating and poisoning the nests.
“One day there was a major wasp problem at a school and I had to locate where the nest actually was. When I found it I discovered it was the size of a volks wagon car. It was one of biggest nests that had ever been seen around. It was quite dangerous as the wasps were quite aggressive. I had to go and poison that. I managed to that without any stings or incidences at all.”
Another nest caused problems as in the dark he unknowingly drove his crowbar right into the centre of the nest and gave it a wriggle. The wasps swarmed up the crowbar giving multiple stings as he hastily retreated.
“I was pretty itchy for a few days as I had at least a dozen quite painful stings. I took great satisfaction in going back a couple of hours later and putting the poison bottle in the nest and running away again. I detest wasps they are a vicious pest.”
About 1984 the Inglewood Borough Council and County Council amalgamated and was renamed Inglewood District Council. Jim had an amazing job travelling all the isolated back country roads and meeting many characters that have had a huge impact on his life.
“To this day I reckon that has been the highlight of my working life working with rural communities. Tarata in particular had some wonderful people out there. It was a real privilege to work with a lot of them.”
The late Andy Lambert was one rural character who made an impression on Jim.
“It was quite common if a farmer had a large amount of dogs they had what is called a motel. If they had a bitch in season they would put an electric fence wire on the steel mesh cage door so that when other dogs came around and made a nuisance of themselves they got discouraged.
“One day I went there to dose the dog. You always put the pill inside a bit of meat. Because I knew the dogs well I would hold the meat through the mesh of the door and they would eat it and the pill.
“I did that but I suddenly got this almighty blow up under my arm and elbow. A second later when I got another one I realised that the cage door was electrified. My steel watch strap got caught in the door and I got two or three severe belts before I managed to free myself.
“I turned around to see Andy Lambert leaning against the shed wall laughing so hard that he was sinking to the ground. Sympathy didn’t come into it.”
In 1989 the New Plymouth District Council was formed with the amalgamation of NP City, The Taranaki County Council, The Waitara Borough Council, The Clifton County Council and the Inglewood District Council.
“I went from a job of working on my own with about 2,500 dogs and stock in a relative controlled area to an area that now had 8,000 plus dogs and stock on road problems from Mokau to Stony River through to Tariki and right out through the back country as far as Purangi.”
During this time more staff were employed following incidents of horrific dog attacks badly injuring people and children across NZ. Hydatids was also deemed eradicated and so the Hydatids and Dog Control Act got a revamp.
“The new Dog Control Act gave sweeping authority to local councils to employ staff and enforce more stringent rules on dogs and dog owners. Uniforms were also a requirement so that you were now identified. You had to carry a warrant on you along with your name and identification.
“A new process under the 1996 Dog Control Act which I felt was a very significant thing was that I had the right to venture on to a property during the hours of daylight and actually seize and take dogs off the property if certain menacing or dangerous dog actions were likely to occur. I felt it was quite a huge step too because you were legally allowed to go onto the property.”
Across NZ more vicious attacks were being reported and it became apparent that many owners were not registering their dogs. Under the new Act if someone failed to register an animal the officer could remove the dog from the property during daylight hours.
“So the job became a much more serious, professional and enforcement type role where I still believe that education of the dog owners was the most important thing.”
One day Jim was asked to attend a property with the Police to deal with two dogs as they dealt with the property owner.
“I went to the scene to work and I was accompanied onto the property by two fully armed officers with firearms to talk to the person that was there.
“The seriousness of what the job had become was really brought home to me that day when I had two armed policeman to accompany me onto a property with a dog related matter.”
Because the owner of the dog was known for violence and weapons there were about eight policemen in attendance that day.
“Their skills were so fantastic that the gentleman we dealt with actually voluntarily put the dogs in the back of the animal control ute in the finish. The Police then dealt with the gentleman while I took the dogs away to the pound.
“I can’t praise them highly enough because the North Taranaki Police were absolutely fabulous in their support and the skills they had in defusing some quite volatile situations.”
Some funny things Jim has encountered over the years are a phone call saying there was a goat in a toilet and lassoing a pig.
“A memorable moment was an elderly lady rang up one day and said she had a goat in her toilet. I went around and sure enough someone’s pet goat had somehow got into her house and into her toilet room.
“The door opened inwards and so every time the goat got its head between the door and the frame and tried to push out it kept shutting on itself and was bleating its head off. The lady was quite distressed.
“I had to push the door open and lead the goat outside. The goat didn’t use the toilet paper either, it just left a mess. Its aim wasn’t very good!!
“The goat was returned to its owner and the elderly lady was able to use her toilet so it was a good outcome.”
“Another time I had to lasso a pig outside the Inglewood post office. That was a very noisy event as pigs don’t like being lassoed. I put some bread scraps on the ground and put the lasso around its neck. It sounded like half a dozen chainsaws were going off in a tin shed!”
The introduction of the microchip has been a great asset for owners to help identify and to the dog control team to contact an owner.
“At the pound we have dogs brought by a person that said they no longer want the family dog for some reason or other.
“Within 24 hours we have the partner of that person come in. The relationship has broken up and one partner has handed the others dog in as a retribution. With the microchip we can positively identify the dog to an owner.”
Animals and owners are also easily reunited after being stolen or frightened. In some unfortunate cases the animal has been found deceased and it has enabled the animal team to notify the owner of their pets demise.
“A dog was found in the Mt Messenger area and a pig hunter from that area rung up claiming that it was his dog. It had a microchip in it and that showed it belonged to a Coromandel address.
“When we contacted the man from Coromandel he said yes his dog had been missing for six months. The dog was stolen from Coromandel and brought over to Taranaki. It was reunited with the owner from the microchip.
“Another similar instance was a gentleman from Hamilton who was advertising everywhere for his pet dog as it had disappeared and he couldn’t find it.
“We had a dog abandoned at the pound in New Plymouth. The microchip took it back to Hamilton and it was the man’s dog. It hadn’t walked down here but had been stolen and dropped off down here.”
Although his job as an animal control over has come to an end and his uniform has been handed in his job will always be part of him.
“I will not walk away from an ill treatment of an animal. I will speak up wherever I am in uniform or not. I will always advocate for an animal that is being treated unfairly.”
“I think it is important to understand that a dog reads you like you read a book. If you show concern or fear of the animal, the dog picks that up in you and therefore it will act in a fearful or aggressive manner. Be relaxed act calm and this will “read” to the dog you are not a threat to them.” If you are concerned of the dogs behaviour quietly back away NEVER turn and run as this may trigger the dogs chase instinct.
Jim says “If you are ever concerned for a dogs well being or its aggressive behaviour contact your local animal control team for advice.”