Rochelle Crossman was out for a walk at Whare Flat with her 6-year-old son, when they came across a sign that read, "Dogs must be leashed if caught chasing sheep they will be shot!".
She said the sign distracted them from what should have been a relaxing walk through native bush, and left her son worried their pet labradoodle would be killed if it strayed more than a few metres from them.
Ms Crossman said they did not see any sheep on the walk
She believed it would have been within the rights of the farmer to to define his private property, and she was "100%" supportive of him taking measures to protect his sheep.
But she took issue with the tone of the sign which she termed "unacceptable".
It was "scary" and overly aggressive.
"It just doesn’t seem like it should be something that should be at the start of a nice family walk that’s run by the DCC," she said.
She had complained to the council on the January 24 and received no response to her follow up on February 9.
On Tuesday, a council spokesman said they were aware of the complaint but staff had visited the site several times and the sign appeared to have been removed.
A nearby resident said the sign was removed on the morning of the February 16 and said the situation was "really strange".
