Dogs impounded in the Western Bay of Plenty district will soon be locked up in new accommodations.

This week the council's policy committee recommended a $250,000 upgrade and expansion of the 20-year-old Katikati and Te Puke animal shelters to meet the needs of a growing dog population.

The Katikati (pictured) and Te Puke animal shelters are set to receive a $250,000 upgrade following a Western Bay of Plenty Council policy committee recommendation made this week. Photo: Google Maps

The number of picked up, lost, or roaming dogs is more than the council can accommodate, with the overflow housed by the SPCE and the TCC, says a staff report to the committee.

The existing shelters also don't meet current industry standards, and restrict dog rangers' ability to impound dogs for specified noncompliance with required registration, welfare, roaming and associated issues.

They are also deficient in respect to employee health and safety considerations for security, sanitary facilities, and disease control. There have been moderate to significant incidents recorded at the shelters.

Council rangers also have a lack of access to technology on site which requires duplication of information – paper log and electronic for billing and registration purposes.

The proposed $250k upgrades were consulted on in Annual Plan submissions, with 24 submissions in favour and six opposing.

There were also opposing views on whether the shelters should be funded from rates or registration fees, but that has been settled by the dogs themselves.

No increase in dog registration fees is required to fund the work as the dog population is growing fast enough to ensure there is sufficient funding.

The numbers of dogs impounded per year is increasing. There were more than 800 dogs impounded in the 2015/16 year, reflecting the growth of the population and the increase in complaints the council receives about dogs.

Dog impounds over the last five years have increased 40 per cent, which is not as a result of any increase in enforcement activities or stricter enforcement by officers over this time.