Dog ownership has soared in New Zealand over the past five years, outstripping the growth in people in most of the main cities.

They say a dog is man's best friend and that certainly seems to be the case in New Zealand.

Dog ownership has soared over the past five years, outstripping the growth in people in all the main cities apart from Auckland.

The country is home to more than 560,500 registered dogs – enough for about one in nine to be a proud owner. That's a pooch for roughly every third household.

Iain McGregor/Stuff Dog numbers have risen by 13 per cent in Christchurch in the past five years.

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But where can lay claim to the title of being New Zealand's canine capital?

A number of cities can put a paw in the air to take the accolade.

The title, based on dogs per person, belongs to Dunedin, where the 17,465 dogs registered by the end of June last year against a population of 130,700 means there is one mutt for roughly every seven people, according to council and government figures.

Hamilton will also be howling its case as the country's dog-friendliest city. Registered numbers there rocketed from 6581 in 2012/13 to 11,783 in 2017/18 – a 79 per cent rise.

And while Aucklanders may be wagging their tails over the fact they have more dogs than anywhere else, they are all bark and no bite – their 103,000 registered dogs is a rise of less than 2 per cent on five years ago, the lowest of any of the major centres.

Iain McGregor Anna Dever and her son 5-year-old son, Tyson Herewini, enjoy walking their dog Snuffles in the Halswell Quarry dog park.

But while pet numbers in the cities are rising, most dogs find their homes in small towns and rural New Zealand.

Kiwis' love affair with their four-legged friends was obvious in Christchurch over Christmas as hundreds of owners flocked to Hagley Park and the city's dedicated dog parks.

Anna Dever was among those out and about at Halswell Quarry dog park, playing with her 5-year-old son Tyson Herewini and pet Snuffles during the spell of good weather.

The family bought Snuffles on Trade Me eight months ago, drawn to the glint in his eye.

"He was just in all the pictures the naughty one," Dever said. "The one with a bit more character."

Iain McGregor/Stuff Dog parks such as the one at Halswell in Christchurch have grown in popularity in recent years, owners believe.

Owners in the city say they have noticed a marked change in dog numbers in recent years.

Jenny Swanson said she was constantly stopped by people admiring her 7-month-old husky, Bella, who she bought last year after the death of a beloved old boxer dog.

She and her "strong-willed, lovely-natured" young pet are regulars at Victoria Park dog park in Christchurch's Port Hills, where they have met plenty of people and other dogs for Bella to play with.

"It's amazing how social the dogs are," she said. "I have definitely noticed [more dogs] – I would say it has doubled or tripled in the last 12 months.

"I used to go up there and there was hardly anybody around, but I have seen a huge difference recently."

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF Jenny Swanson and her seven-month-old husky Bella are regulars at Victoria Park dog park, where owners chat while their dogs play happily together.

Christchurch's dog population has risen markedly in recent years, from 34,072 registered pets in 2013 to 38,527 last year.

That 13 per cent increase is higher than the 9 per cent change in residents over the same period,up from 356,700 in 2013 to 388,500 in 2018.

The trend is mirrored in the country's other big cities.

Dunedin, Tauranga, Hamilton and Wellington have all seen the dog numbers grow faster than the human population since 2013.

STACY SQUIRES/STUFF Sasha Friese walking her nine-month-old bull mastiff Kevin in the hills above Christchurch.

But the pattern is not the same across New Zealand as a whole – the 560,511 dogs registered in 2018 is up just 4.57 per cent on the 535,987 of 2013, against a 10 per cent population rise in the same period, from 4.44 million to 4.88 million.

While Auckland is home to the most registered dogs, it also has the naughtiest owners.

In the 12 months to June, authorities issued 5817 infringement notices – equating to one in 20 dogs – for everything from failing to take dog obedience courses to not keeping pets under control.

Owners in Wellington were the best behaved, with infringements issued for less than one per cent of dogs.

Pets in the dog house most often appear to live in Tauranga, where there were 5228 complaints in the same period against a dog population of 12,700.

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