3-year-old progresses after nasty dog attack

Rikiau West-Pakuria has a smile that lights up the room.

But as the 3-year-old lay in an induced coma after a horrific dog attack, there were times when his parents Eulia West-Pakuria and Rik Pakuria thought they might never see that smile again.

In the attack, eight weeks ago, Rikiau was bitten in the throat by his aunt's dog and suffered critical injuries that needed major surgery. MORE>>

Gone to the dogs: How to stop the attacks

well.. good breeding is the first thing about creating good dogs. 

Second, good care for the bitch and her pups, and that's knowing how to care for them. All pups should be house trained before leaving the breeders place (Yes, it can be done)

Third, good dog education (no a-la-Cesar way either!.. just kick the dog on his hind legs to get him to walk beside you)

If you want to read the article in the NZ Herald which tells you how to stop dog attacks, and who I'm sure has no idea what he's on about... go ahead.. the article link

Here's the crap that the article writes about ""Payne thinks councils need to lift their game. By law the public can report threatening dog behaviour to their local authority, even without the animal biting anyone."" 

Now that is pretty crazy! 

SPCA strays get jackets to advertise themselves

Wellington SPCA is turning its dogs into four-legged billboards - advertising themselves.

The likes of Neapolitan mastiff-boxer cross Nella and her "best friend'' ridgeback-labrador cross Coco have had special coats made.

Each can have placards attached, meaning as they get taken for walks by volunteers, members of the public can get the necessary information in case they want to adopt the dogs.

So far only two prototype coats have been made but eight more are in the pipeline.

The new ones will also have pockets for flyers, with information about the specific dog. MORE>>

Pit bull at party puts three in hospital

Three people needed hospital treatment after being attacked by a pit bull dog at a party in the Taranaki town of Patea on Thursday afternoon.

Police and the animal control service were called to the house at 5pm and found a middle-aged man had already been taken to Hawera hospital, while a woman in her 20s had a large bite on her ankle.

A second woman in her 40s yesterday went to Whanganui Hospital to get treatment for bites.

Constable Jason Wright said the animal's owner and others at the party were highly intoxicated.

"They were really hard to reason with," he said. "The guy got so agitated he let the dog out into the streets, so we had this dog that had just bitten two people running out on the streets and there were lots of kids around."

John McKenzie, South Taranaki District Council's group manager of environmental services, said two victims were transferred from Hawera's accident and emergency to Taranaki Base Hospital in New Plymouth. "Their injuries were very serious."

A pit bull had been seized and impounded, he said.

"The owner of the dog wants the dog back, however we intend on prosecuting him for failure to control his dog and will be seeking a court order for the dog's destruction." MORE>>

What... dog's destruction ?? why don't they say, they want to kill the dog?

Aint the dog's fault for idiot drinkers!

'World's ugliest dog' is dead

When a beloved pet dies, good manners usually dictate saying something nice about the departed companion.

And for Yoda, it was a compliment to say she sure was ugly.

Yoda won the 2011 World's Ugliest Dog contest at the Sonoma Marin Fair for her short tufts of hair, protruding tongue, and long, seemingly hairless legs.

The Chinese crested and Chihuahua mix died in her sleep Saturday. She was 15.

The 0.8-kilogram pooch had lived a rough life before Terry Schumacher found her abandoned behind an apartment building and mistook her for a rat. MORE>>

Editorial: Dog control at heart of vexed fee-rise wrangle

...............

Statistics for 2010-11 show more than 3300 dogs impounded in Auckland were destroyed after being unclaimed by their owners and deemed too dangerous to be adopted. A higher reclaim fee would only aggravate this.

Given that, the dog owners' case against the increase in registration fees must rest on the concept that control is a community issue, rather than a burden to be placed on the shoulders of dog owners.

This view is underpinned by the many roles of man's best friend, not least in providing companionship for the elderly and the ailing, and in enhancing community health and wellbeing through activities inherent in dog ownership.

In that context, it is reasonable to argue that there is as much reason for ratepayers to subsidise dog control as there is, say, to subsidise council swimming pools. Ironically, the $5.5 million that KPMG estimated it would cost ratepayers for free entry to the council's 24 pools is almost identical to what they would have to pay if the dog registration fees were to remain as they are.

Auckland's beaches provide a readymade alternative to the council pools. That severely undercuts the case for free entry. Dog control costs create far more of a dilemma. The ultimate answer probably lies in a licensing system that would require owners to do a course in dog behaviour and care.  MORE>>

Dog abusers banned from owning animals

A man has been banned from owning an animal for 10 years for keeping an elderly dog in such poor condition it died within minutes of SPCA intervention.

It is one of two cases of Aucklanders being brought to justice for abusing pets this week.

Harley Love appeared in the Waitakere District Court yesterday charged with keeping an "animal alive when it is in such a condition that it is suffering unreasonable or unnecessary pain or distress".

The 21-year-old was charged after an SPCA Auckland inspector was called to his Glen Eden home in January and found a 17-year-old German shepherd-type dog collapsed on the back deck.

The SPCA said the dog, named "Troy", was very thin, covered in patches of live fleas and maggots and was lying in its own excrement.  MORE>>

Long-distance collie dies in fire

A dog that walked around the South Island to raise money for the Cancer Society has been killed in a Wellington house fire.

Wellington computer analyst-programmer Mike Butler walked 2325 kilometres around the South Island in 69 days with border collie Rapid and kelpie Ella last year, raising more than $22,000.

An electrical fault caused a fire in his Island Bay home on Sunday morning, killing seven-year-old Rapid, which was recovering from a tear in a cruciate ligament, Butler said.

"He was resting in a crate recovering from surgery."

Butler was judging a dog agility competition in Upper Hutt, something he would normally take Rapid along to, when he got the phone call from police about 7.30am on Sunday.

"I'm absolutely devastated. I'm barely hanging in there. He was something special. For seven years he's been my shadow, my sports partner. He cuddled up with me at night."  MORE>>

R.I.P

To own a dog, you should have to pass a licence

Brain wrote this article - the counter argument about WHY is there an outcry about dog fees....

Animal champion Bob Kerridge is outraged that good dog owners like himself face a huge rise in Auckland Council dog registration fees, to help pay for the sins of bad dog owners.

Yesterday as I handed over $287.75 to license my well-behaved car, I wondered if the SPCA boss could be persuaded to broaden his campaign to include law-abiding motorists as well. After all, the biggest chunk of the car licence fee was for accident compensation. Why should I be paying to rehabilitate the hoons who smash themselves up any more than Mr Kerridge should pay for prosecuting errant dog owners?

(...)

For those about to lose their dog owner licence discount, the proposed leap in fees is huge. For a de-sexed dog, the fee jumps from $47 to $120, for an "entire" dog, $53 to $160. MORE reading in between the lines>>

What Brian forgets to think about is.... why do other countries NOT have FEES or have VERY LITTLE fees to own a dog.
For example, in Ottawa, Canada (my birthplace)

Description	Cost
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is sterilized and microchipped:	$17
for each dog/cat under 6 months of age, which is microchipped:	$17
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is sterilized but, not microchipped:	$23
for each dog/cat under 6 months of age, which is not microchipped:	$23
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is microchipped but, not sterilized:	$23
for each dog/cat 6 months of age or older, which is neither sterilized nor microchipped:	$40
for each dog whose owner has been convicted of permitting the dog to bite or attack, without provocation, a person or domestic animal	$103
for each service animal:	free
for each replacement of a lost identification tag:	free

HOWEVER,
I know that people will say, but Ottawa has a bigger population than Auckland. REALLY? Google it!


NOW,
What my beef is... is that when your dog does get lost, they put her/him in the pound, instead of giving you a ring and saying that they found your dog. I mean, they are all microchipped aren't they? They all have their ID on them, so why not just drive them home! 


You will say... BUT THEY AREN'T a TAXI SERVICE! 
For $150, what the hell do you get for your money?


* is there a percentage of your dog fees going towards research ?
* does the city council offer free dog talks by experts in the fields ? (using positive methods only.... take those dog rollers out of here Ie the alpha stance)
* does the city council give discount vouchers for doing the right thing and get dog owners out there doing a dog sport?
* dog education for kids?? using volunteers (educated ones) to conducts school programmes. Check out the Victoria Government dog education programme.


Oh, and by the way, Rodney Hide PROMISED dog owners at the Conference that he attended, that part of the money that is collected goes towards research in our DOG PoLiCiES around the country. The laws around dogs that they implemented in government-- ARE THEY WORKING? are the number of dog bites reducing? 

Barking up a storm over rego rise

ngry dog owners were set to bail up mayor Len Brown in south Auckland last night over what they label outrageous hikes in the cost of dog registration.

(...)

Dog lovers Karen Malfait of Papatoetoe and East Tamaki's Janice Goodger are calling for owners to unite and fight the rises. They were planning to confront Mr Brown at a Papakura Local Board public meeting last night.

A fellow dog lover has also set up a Facebook group Stand Up Auckland Dog Owners which gained nearly 2000 followers in its first week online and is still growing.  MORE>>

10-year pet ban follows puppy bashing

A man who bashed a puppy to death has avoided a jail term but he will not be allowed to own or have control of an animal for 10 years.

Robin Gerrard Wilson, 32, will be allowed to serve his four months of home detention at his home where other family members have pets, but he is not allowed any control over them.

Wilson was sentenced at Christchurch District Court on a charge of reckless ill treatment of a white and tan female Jack Russell terrier puppy.

Judge Raoul Neave said it was clear the dog had suffered significantly.

Wilson grabbed the puppy and threw it outside without the intention to harm it, but it was badly injured. He took it inside and attempted to care for it, but over the next few hours decided it was suffering and tried to break its neck. He also struck it over the head with the butt of an axe to kill it. MORE>>

Danger in the garden

Richard and Michelle Rankin want people to know about the toxic danger lurking in Auckland's parks.

The Rankin family's two-year-old English cocker spaniel Alonso had to be put down after he ate fallen berries from a neighbour's karaka tree a few weeks ago.

"Our neighbour had no idea they were poisonous and he's starting to take the trees out. He's been very good about the whole thing," Mr Rankin says.

"We really want other people to know that these berries are very toxic and they are a risk at this time of year.

"Our main concern is around other people suffering the loss of a pet due to these berries or, God forbid, small children eating them."

The native trees are common in parks, council reserves and private gardens across the city.

The seeds contain a neurotoxin – 3-nitropropionic acid – and the powerful alkaloid poison karakin.

MORE>>

Bob Kerridge: Council should think again on dog fees

Bob Kerridge: Council should think again on dog fees

Read all of the article online, but here is a bit of what he wrote: Accordingly the need to 'get it right' sits firmly on the shoulders of the city's law-makers, and Auckland dog owners will undoubtedly have their views on the subject.
Getting it right means catering to the welfare of the dogs, ensuring the responsibilities of dog ownership are understood and practised, and respecting the autonomy of those who do not wish to interact with dogs. That's one large diplomatic headache.

Cutting to the bare essentials the 'leash law' is the one that caters to all, with dogs required to be on a leash at all times in public places. This guarantees absolute control with any public nuisance element eliminated, and a happy dog in contact with its 'pack leader'. Off leash areas in some open spaces provide for times of freedom, although essentially these areas should be completely contained to avoid contact with the general public. Additionally the compulsory picking up of droppings eliminates a most offensive public nuisance.

However, lurking behind the question of appropriate bylaws is a sinister plan that will impact dramatically on dog owners, a plan the Auckland Council hoped would not surface at this time. It lies in wait in the Council's Long Term Plan, volume 3, on page 144, and it was approved by them earlier this month. It involves the raising of dog registration fees by up to 160 per cent." MORE>>

One of question that Bob forgets to write is about the cost- benefit analyses that the ex-Rod Hide promised us that the government would do... Rodney was in charge of Auckland. He failed to keep his promise.
How can you justify a hike in registration when they haven't proven that WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS RIGHT? 
_________________________

Mrs Malfait is the proud owner of two desexed bichon frise dogs and is fuming over the proposed price hikes.

She faces a more than 100 percent rise from $94 to $240 and says responsible dog owners are being penalised for the actions of irresponsible ones.

"Every rule and regulation they have come out with we have followed," she says.

She is calling for all owners to front up to Mr Brown with their dogs at every public meeting about the long term plan and at his Mayor in the Chair events.

The first public consultation with Mr Brown over the draft plan is with the Papakura board tonight.

The meeting begins at 6pm at the Sir Edmund Hillary Library.

Mrs Malfait is encouraging other owners to let the mayor know how they feel.

Dog breeder Ms Goodger has 10 dogs on her 8.09 hectares in East Tamaki and faces an increase of more than $1000 in registration fees – even though she doesn't let dogs off the property.  MORE>>

___________________________________

Dog Fee Fury

A summary of the draft plan and a feedback form should be delivered to all homes by today. (29/02/2012)

The full plan is at www.aucklandcouncil.govt.nz, Waiheke library or the council service centre.

Submissions close on March 23 at 4pm.

PROPOSED LICENCE FEE INCREASES: The current standard licence fee for a dog is $104 if the early purchase date of August 1 is taken advantage of.

If the licence is bought after that date it costs $128.

The plan proposes to raise the early purchase cost to $160 from July this year, or $210 if paid after August 1.

A desexed dog licence for an owner who has taken the responsible dog owner test costs $47 and $70 if purchased after August 1, but Auckland Council is proposing to increase these rates to $120 and $170.

The cost for a non desexed dog for an owner with a dog owner licence, is currently $53 if bought before August 1 and $77 if purchased afterwards.

This will go up to $160 and $210.

For a non-licensed owner with a desexed dog, the charge are $75 if purchased before August 1 or $98 if bought after.

These prices go up to $120 and $170. Fees for a dog's first visit to a pound go up from $35 for the first occurrence to $60.

Repeat visits which were charged at the same rate will incur a $100 charge for a second visit and $150 for a third.

Club leads way with dogs

Rotorua's Jeanette Peacock grew up around dogs and she loves them.

The president of the Rotorua Dog Obedience Club has been a member of the club for close to 20 years and enjoys the friendship and the travel the club provides, as well as the promotion of the welfare and importance of dogs in today's society.

"They bring joy. They get people exercising and they bring unconditional love," Mrs Peacock said. MORE>>

Dog's death an 'accident' not a crime

A dog that died after being left in a car on a hot, sunny day was muzzled and unable to lap up water, the Crown says.

The prosecution presented its case at the start of a Christchurch District Court jury trial before Judge Colin Doherty yesterday.

However, the defence said the pomeranian dog, Midgey, was a cherished partner and the loved companion of the owner, Annabelle Victoria Quor.

"The defence says no crime has been committed here and that what's happened is a tragic accident," Andrew McKenzie said.

He explained that Quor, 75, had left the dog in similar circumstances without problems.

However, on this occasion she had forgotten to unclip Midgey's muzzle. Her doctor would give evidence about her "memory difficulties".  MORE>>

OUTCOME

Owner fined after dog ""cooked" in car

A 75-year-old woman found guilty of leaving her dog to die of heat stroke in her car has been fined $2500.
MORE>>
Owner fined after dog 'cooked' in car