Slideshow

"I moved over from the UK about four and a half years ago now. I’ve always been interested in animals – I’d always had dogs myself. When I first got to New Zealand I did bar work, which I’d previously done for about seven years, but then I saw this advertised and I thought that it sounded a bit different.

"It’s a job that’s related to animals, but is actually more about dealing with people. As an animal control officer, you have to be able to resolve situations that might get a bit aggressive or emotional – so my background dealing with people in pubs comes in quite handy!

"On occasions it can be pretty full-on, but at the same time I enjoy the people side of things. It’s a very diverse job, you don’t know what’s going to happen from day to day.

"I’d say that 90 percent of what we do is dealing with dog-related problems. Then we have our stock complaints, things like cows getting out on the road. The strangest job was moving a seal. We had one that came up out of the water and made its home on the steps of someone’s house. The owners couldn’t get in or out, so we had to help DOC [Department of Conservation] usher it back to the water.

"One of the biggest downsides to this job for me is that we do have to put some dogs to sleep. Luckily for us, it doesn’t happen on a regular basis. Still, it’s something that every animal control officer has to be trained to do. Because of this, some people think that animal control is heartless, but it couldn’t be further from the truth. We’re all animal lovers. Most have got at least one rehoused animal from here.

"As part of my job I’m also the adoptions officer, so I’ll assess animals to see if they’re suitable for rehousing. Any animal that’s of sound temperament, we will do our best to find a home for – often for quite a long period.

"So while sometimes we get negative feedback, the flip side is we get people who are absolutely distraught that their dog has gone missing and when we find it they’re just so grateful for what we’ve done."

Other slideshows of people at work are also available.