Dangerous dog goes free

A Wanganui kennel operator who needed more than 85 stitches after being mauled by a dog she was caring for says she is appalled that it escaped a death sentence.

The injuries the woman suffered from the german shepherd sparked debate over whether she was in effect its temporary owner.

On July 16 last year Carol Jones was walking the unregistered dog, called Ori. When she tried to manoeuvre the dog around a sapling it leapt at her throat. Ori bit into her right arm, bowled her to the ground, then mauled her left arm.

"The dog nearly killed me and it would have if my husband hadn't pulled it off. I was in a bad way and will be scarred for life," she said.

Wanganui District Council's zero-tolerance policy requires that dogs that attack be put down and the owners prosecuted.

But Mrs Jones said her pleas to have the dog put down were ignored, and she believed the council acted as it did because the owner, Dot Pleasants, was the wife of local RSA president and Wanganui ambassador Graeme Pleasants.

"What really gets us is that the Wanganui District Council has represented the chosen few instead of the community," Mrs Jones said.

The council's regulatory manager at the time of the attack, Stuart Hylton, said because the dog was in Mrs Jones' care the issue of ownership was "contentious".

He denied that the Pleasantses had received any special treatment but understood how it could be seen that way.

"It was a unique case, the owner was out of town, and she was the caretaker."

Mr Hylton said that legally the council could only ask Mr and Mrs Pleasants to hand over the dog to be put down, but they refused.

An informal committee in August heard from Mrs Jones and the Pleasantses but decided to take no further action.

Wanganui District Council lawyers argued that because Mrs Jones had the dog for over 72 hours she was the "owner" - a position that was criticised by Ombudsman Beverley Wakem and Associate Local Government Minister Nanaia Mahuta.

The dog was classified as "dangerous".It is not allowed off the owner's property except to go to the vet.

Mrs Pleasants said they had met the council's requirements and did not wish to comment further.