The Dog Nuisance Act 1844 was created on 17 July 1844 to deal with the nuisance of dogs wandering freely around New Zealand towns. A newspaper report from Auckland in March 1844 stated:There are more of the canine species in this town than in any other four times the size, and we care not how soon a dog act is [e]nforced to rid us of these brutes. The streets swarm with them, the greater portion apparently without owners. Strolling through the streets of a dark night, should you escape with the loss of a mere mouthful out of each calf, you may consider yourself extremely fortunate.