Council staff said significant numbers of people had looked at the online consultation document for the proposed changes.
"There have been over 400 visits to the online consultation page," a spokeswoman said.
And in the week since the survey opened, nearly 60 online responses to the Dog Control Bylaw plans had been received.
A few more paper-based surveys had also come in.
Council staff had also dropped off a letter to business owners in the commercial areas of Oamaru to encourage them to have their say on the council plans.
The council wanted to know thoughts on leash length and tethering requirements for dogs in those areas, "so people could tether their dog while visiting your business — or have them seated outside at a hospitality venue".
The last time the council formally consulted the public on its dog bylaws, a decade ago, 82 members of the public responded.
Under the current bylaw, people can be fined $300 if caught walking their dog in Thames St or in any of the other areas in Waitaki where dogs are banned.
One of the key changes proposed is around dog-prohibited areas.
These include changing Thames and Harbour Sts and the North End shops from prohibited dog areas to on-lead areas.
The council is also proposing dogs be allowed to be on-lead and under continuous control at sports grounds, but not on designated marked sports fields.
It is also proposing on-lead dogs can be walked within 10m of children’s play equipment, on a formed path or track.
Some coastal areas at Kakanui and the reserve off Beach Rd are also proposed as off-lead dog exercise areas.
Public consultation by the council in late 2023 indicated most people were interested in a more dog-friendly Oamaru.
The current bylaws took effect in 2014, but a mandatory revision is required every 10 years.
In an online survey by the council in late 2023, between 74% and 92% of respondents wanting to broaden the areas within Oamaru where they could walk their dogs.
At the time, the Oamaru Mail reported that dog owners were divided over the question of dogs around the harbour.
Some saw no reason why they should not be allowed there with their dog on a lead; others thought a blanket ban over the whole area to protect penguins.
And of respondents to last year’s survey, nearly 83% approved of using $1 from every dog registration fee to subsidise desexing dogs when there was a need, such as due to financial hardship.
People can have their say on the proposed changes to the council’s Dog Control Bylaw until August 12.
