Warnings after attack dog destroyed

Dog owners are being warned to keep their dogs in a controlled environment or they may end up facing prosecution and death of their dog after the dog responsible for an attack on a four-year-old was destroyed.

Tauranga City Council animal services team leader Brent Lincoln is warning dog owners against leaving their dogs in a position where they can attack, following the destruction order on the staffordshire bull terrier cross dog on Friday.


Photo: file

The dog, which was tied to a post, attacked a four-year-old boy and his 23-year-old sister as they crossed the Papamoa property's front lawn on February 12.

The dog leapt from the deck at the boy, ripping his shorts and scratching his leg. His sister placed herself between the dog and her brother, and was bitten twice before managing to get her brother over a fence and escape herself.

'The main situation here is that the dog was in a position that if somebody did wander onto the property it could attack them, and that's the message I would like to get to owners,” says Brent.

'You can't leave your dog in those situations.

'If they do, they leave themselves liable for something like this. In this case it was really fortunate the young child was protected by the older sister, otherwise we could have been looking at a far worse situation.”

Animal services seized the dog and prosecuted the owner, who pleaded guilty in Tauranga District Court on April 20 to being the owner of a dog which attacked a person.

She was fined $250 plus $132.89 court costs and ordered to pay $300 towards the victims' medical expenses. The dog was ordered to be destroyed and was put down on Friday after the owner surrendered the dog without appeal.

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5 comments

Makes you wonder

Posted on 02-05-2012 06:04 | By Hector

As a dog owner,and no way condoning the breed of dog you want to own, but you have to question your right to protect your own property, these people were trespassing, and as in a few cases over the past few years, you have the right to protect your own property,( for goodness sake, did not a farmer up north fire a gun,and hit someone interferring with his property, the dog was tied up, was it not!!!


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Posted on 02-05-2012 07:23 | By Donnaw

Feel very sorry for these children BUT they were crossing a properties front lawn, where i am presuming they had permission to be on that font lawn?? So your not allowed to leave a dog in a position ON YOUR PROPERTY where it may attack, if someone wanders onto that property....I find that absolutly absurd. Next we will be asked to leave all our front doors unlocked so people can help them selves if they happen to wander onto your property.


Why buy dangerous breeds

Posted on 02-05-2012 11:09 | By Surfwatch

I've heard it all before, "its not the breed its the owner". But these dangerous breeds have a propensity to attack and when they do they have a propensity to kill or maim. They should not allow such breeds to be kept or imported into the country. We have Papillion's. I could imagine someone coming into our section, with a lot of yapping and a big lick. Even if they did bite, it would probably hurt the dog more than the intruder.


Biting dogs

Posted on 02-05-2012 13:51 | By donmac

I agree with Surfwatch. All reports of dogs biting people refer to staffordshire-pit-bull-terrier breeds of dogs. No other breeds feature. What is there that owners of these breeds do not understand? Their dogs will and do bite people! They cannot be pets. To own one of those breeds or any of their crosses is just plain stupid!


thats a stupid comment

Posted on 02-05-2012 16:41 | By porky

i know people that have staffy crosses and they do make wonderful caring pets! so for donmac to say they can't be pets is pathetic. its the owners and the inbreeding that happens that make these dogs agressive. adn i agree with Donnaw - did the people have permission to be on the property? was the dog not contained on its own property?!


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