A report presented to Wellington North council Monday once again sparked concerns regarding livestock guardian dogs.

Council voted in favour of reducing the limit on dogs within Wellington North down from ten to five. There is, however, an exemption for livestock guardian dogs.

The livestock guardian dogs were a hot topic that again led to disagreement between several members of council.

Coun. Lisa Hern agreed the limit should be reduced. She did, though, want to see the fee for registering a livestock guardian dog disappear, and pointed out these exemptions would be few and far between.

"It's my thinking that if we're going to get them to do the paperwork, and we're going to support them saving the taxpayer money and protecting their livestock, I don't think it's going to be a ton of people, maybe two or three, that we should support that, or at least I would support that," Hern said.

Coun. Penny Renken said these dogs end up padding the pockets of farmers, so the fee is negligible.

Council did not move Hern’s amendment. Unanimously, the waving of the fee was opposed.

Mayor Andy Lennox said this is a good start, even if it isn't perfect, and that tweaking over time will be key.

"What we've got in front of us today is a good compromise in terms of getting where we need to go, and I think I'm hearing an openness to addressing further needs or making changes as we need to down the road," Lennox stated.

"I think we've got a great start. I'm happy enough to do it on a case-by-case basis or adapt our policy as we go," he added.

Coun. Steve McCabe stated he’d be happy to examine each exemption individually. Meanwhile, Coun. Sherry Burke noted that this method is hardly a stretch from any other type of minor variance.

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