Distressing footage has emerged showing police officers using 50,000-volt Tasers on dogs.
New Zealand Police released the confronting videos to 1News, and have defended their actions as a last resort to ensure safety.
Seven videos were revealed which show officers shocking dogs with the Tasers during call-outs across the country.
Distressing footage has emerged showing police officers using 50,000-volt Tasers on dogs
SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said she has ‘serious welfare concerns about the Tasering of dogs by the police’ and ‘where a Taser is used, the SPCA expects that it is fully justified and all other options are exhausted’.
‘Any animal tasered should receive appropriate vet treatment as soon as possible after the incident,’ she said.
Save Animals From Exploitation (SAFE) spokesman Hans Kriek said using Tasers on dogs would leave them petrified and can cause death.
New Zealand Police Superintendent Chris Scahill said Tasers are only used on dogs where it is absolutely necessary to protect their safety or that of the general public.
He said using a Taser was safer than using a gun. Mr Scahill said police have not sought any advice on Tasering animals but that to his knowledge no dogs have died or been injured in New Zealand after they were Tased.
One of the videos shows police using a Taser on a bull mastiff during a domestic violence incident in the Bay of Plenty on the North Island in November 2016.
After police arrived at the house a man swore at them and urged his dog to attack them, and it sprinted at the officers.
SPCA chief executive Andrea Midgen said she has ‘serious welfare concerns about the Tasering of dogs by the police’
After pepper spray failed to stop the dog they used a Taser.
Another incident occurred when police responded to reports of a burglary in Lower Hutt in December 2016, where they were met by a ‘very aggressive’ pit bull.
The dog was Tased ‘a number of times without effect’ before it was pepper sprayed and finally stopped. The dog was uninjured.
In January 2017 police were called out to a serious assault and were helping an injured victim when they saw the alleged offender run away from the scene.
He was found with his dog a short time later and police arrested him.
New Zealand Police Superintendent Chris Scahill said Tasers are only used on dogs where it is absolutely necessary to protect their safety or that of the general public
As they were dealing with the man the dog began to ‘bark aggressively’ and advance towards the officers before lunging at the them.
One of the officers used a Taser on the dog before it ran off. It was later found by animal control and did not require medical attention once the Taser probes were removed.
Later that month in Wellington police responded to reports of ‘a man fighting’ and firearms inside a house.
They arrived to search the property before finding a labrador barking aggressively. It lunged at one of the officers and the dog was Tasered. It then ran away and hid.