Muzzle all dogs, says victim's daughter

As much as I hate dog attacks, I hate the media not reporting it correctly. This article says:

'The daughter of an 85-year-old pensioner who suffered serious facial injuries when she was mauled by a rottweiler outside a supermarket wants all dogs muzzled in public."

Later in the article is says:

'A Chinese man had been holding the dog on a leash when it attacked.'

I know that this is an awful attack, but why didn't the article talk about why did the lady patted the dog in the first place. It was on a leash. Did she ask the dog owner? Didn't she read the signs of aggression if she's had dogs in her life? etc.etc... it would have been nice to read the circumstances, instead of publishin' the daughter's reaction.

Killer pet owners in a daze

THE owners of the unregistered dogs that fatally mauled a Murupara mum fear they could be jailed. But six days after Virginia Ohlson bled to death from the horror attack, collarless dogs roamed the streets of the Bay of Plenty town.

Shane "Spider" Ruruhe - Virginia's nephew - and his partner Yvonne Thomas were not at home when their pitbull and staffordshire terrier cross family dogs savaged the 56-year-old St John's Ambulance volunteer.

Speaking for the first time since the attack, Thomas said she was devastated by Virginia's death.
(...)
Thomas said her partner had been told by his lawyer not to speak to the media but they were worried about being jailed over the death.

And what will be the outcome of putting them in jail? will it serve any purpose?
(...)
"I'm scared for my children. I'm scared for this child (Virginia's son Jason, 15) who has no mother," Thomas said.
"Shane and I both know how serious this is and what might happen to us and we know that jail is a possibility.
"I'm scared for our children and what might happen to them if we go to jail."

Thomas said she and Ruruhe were about to re-register the dogs.
"We've had them in the family since my daughter was a baby. They've been around my kids their whole lives. Nothing like this has ever happened.

"It tears me up thinking about what happened to Virginia and knowing that it was our dogs who were responsible. That's a life sentence."
(...)
"I've thought of nothing but `If onlys'. I would do anything to turn back the clock."
They had been overwhelmed by the support and forgiveness of the Ohlson whanau and the community.
(...)
But even as the Ohlson family tried to move on, dogs roamed freely in Murupara. Sunday News counted six collarless pitbulls on the street where Virginia was killed.
"It's not the dogs' fault," a local said. "It's the owners who allow them to roam."

I guess we get the answer. If the dogs are still roaming free, what point is there for putting them in jail ? Who's going to get the message??
There is a better solution !

More dog patrols for south

Dog control patrols in Southland had been increased in the wake of two high-profile dog attack cases and reports of other incidents in the region, Southland District Council group manager regulatory services Lindsay McKenzie said yesterday.

The council had received two complaints of dog attacks in Riverton in the past week but had not been able to take any action as the alleged victims could not identify the dogs involved, he said.

MORE>> about all the dog attacks in the country

Police were reaching for guns as pitbulls' owner arrived

Police were within seconds of shooting two out-of-control pitbull dogs which attacked two children and a woman in South Auckland on Saturday.

When police arrived the dogs had already attacked an eight-year-old boy, a 15-year-old girl and an aunt of one of the children who tried to stop the attack, Detective Sergeant Steve Greally said.

Mr Greally was also charged by the dog when he arrived at the owner's home in Takanini, north of Papakura.

He said they police were reaching for their guns when the owner arrived and restrained the dogs. They were both later destroyed.
(...)
He said the owner co-operated and restrained the dogs and the only reason they were not shot after they were restrained was that there were still a lot of children about.

"It would have been out of line for us to do that in front of them. It was a judgement call we had to make."

Good on ya mate! but why don't you use the same judgement call when you burst into a house when drugs are involved, and children are around?

(...)Senior Sergeant Andrew Judson said a decision had yet to be made on charging the owner although charges were likely.

Children attacked by dogs

Five people, including two children and an elderly woman, were attacked by dogs in separate incidents in the North Island yesterday.

Two unregistered pitbulls attacked two children in Round Tree Place in the Auckland suburb of Takanini yesterday afternoon, said Papakura District Council manager of animal control Ken Muir.

"Kids were walking past the property and the dogs rushed out and bit them," said Muir. "When (the ranger) arrived, he was told one of the children had been taken to hospital".
(...)
Meanwhile, Muir said there had also been two other minor dog bite incidents in Franklin yesterday, including one on a postie . "In the last 10 days ... I don't know why, but we have had about three (dog bites) every other day (in his area)," he said.

Decision delayed on charging owner of killer dogs

Police have delayed a decision on whether to charge the owner of two dogs that savaged and killed Virginia Ohlson.
(...)

Mr Te Rupe said the family would have another hui, which they've called a "marae court sitting", to discuss what happened the day of Ms Ohlson's death.

"We want to get to the bottom of the story, set things straight," Mr Te Rupe said."We're getting slanted versions coming left, right and centre. "The meeting is also part of the healing and grieving process for the family."

Elders representing Mr Ruruhe and Ms Ohlson and hapu representatives will attend the hui, which Mr Te Rupe said would be an informal meeting. Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper has also been invited.

The groups at the hui would also discuss how the Whakatane District Council dealt with the situation, Mr Te Rupe said.

Mr Te Rupe said the meeting was not an attempt to replace the police inquiry into Ms Ohlson's death.

"We won't be hindering what the police are doing. Shane is being co-operative."

MORE>> and the IN BETWEENS>>

I really like how the Maoris come together and have huis (meetings) and do at as a community. It is something that the Pakeha (whities) I'm sure envy :)

I say that because (this is for the benefit of outside of NZ readers) every Maori has their tribe. Each tribe is their community. I worked in a Maori settlement (gosh that sounds ancient!) and although drugs had a lot to do with their 'well being' (I mean that the Black Power attended and paid for funerals), I still felt that there was a sense of community and that they could overcome whatever they put their minds to... because they have each other.

Town where dog pound is never empty

In Murupara they call Tom Oldridge "the dog man". He is dog control officer for a town where the pound is never empty and, as of a week ago, dogs can turn into killers.

He's been out on its streets since two mauled Virginia Ohlson to death last Saturday and has picked up half a dozen strays - including what he believes was a purebred pitbull roaming free.

(...)

And just as the local people know him, the dogs do too: they sometimes split when they see him coming, as two did when he caught them "having a bull on" this week.

"A lot of the dogs I pick up, heck, they're just normal," he says.

MORE>>

Killer dogs left in too-hard basket

It is with depressing regularity that, at least once a year, politicians trot out a hodge-podge of cliches about dangerous dogs, which amount to little more than a helpless shrug and a "something must be done", The Dominion Post writes in an editorial.
MORE>>

Very good editorial about how the media goes all out and does the blame game. Why is it that when there is a tragedy, like the 2 children drowned in the boating accident, someone 'must be blamed', 'a prosecution is warranted... '.

I wrote my thoughts in the other column below. But I just want to say... why is it that everything that happens in society, there has to be a person, law, substance blamed.

Sometimes things happen for a reason which we don't know. And if you are at all religious, you'd say that 'this is just one step into our human path through life'. Or better yet "SHIT HAPPENS!"

Learn by experience because, how else would we learn?

Tougher dog laws are not working-- Doglinks editorial

Just from the mere title, you don't have to read the article. But if you do it's here.

My thoughts on this whole "Death By Dog" Matter. The media do play a role in this... I mean, they are putting fear into people where there shouldn't be. Or may be there should be now (with dogs being unsocialized).

The woman who died from the dog attack didn't REALLY die of the dog attack. Apparently, the dog bite in a artery, resulting in blood rushing out. If the dog would have bitten anywhere else, things would have been different. I wasn't there, so I'll write apparently, from what I saw in the very brief interview with family members.

You could almost say that she died from negligence. If anybody that rushed to her aid would have known first aid, they would have known to untie their tie or some other cloth, and tie it around her leg to prevent the gush of blood. She was an volunteer ambulance driver, perhaps she said something about it, perhaps she was unconscious, but....

The dog was her nephew's dog.

Her nephew had a dog that was vicious because he wanted to protect his house. Not because he was a bad dog owner. (Of course, the vicious dog should have stayed in his yard... no doubt about that!)

Why?

Because in that neighbourhood, there are burglaries.

It's not the dog laws that need to be changed, but the laws that put people in fear of their valuables. And why do most people go to jail? Drug related issues. So why don't we listen to the Select Committee's review and recommendations on Drug Laws and acknowledge that the drug laws are creating an environment in which people feel the need to have a vicious dog to protect their house.

This woman didn't die solely because of a dog bite. She died of ignorance from people who didn't know First Aid (I'm assuming everyone just gawked!), and bad social laws that necessitates people to feel the need to 'bare arms'.

New Zealanders don't bare arms with guns, they do it with dogs!

If you don't think this is true, please comments... express your views...

Getting tough on the dog problem (24/04/07)

We could be at the point where our dog laws need to take one further step, so that there's absolutely no doubt whose responsibility a dangerous dog is.

Anyone who owns a dog, must register it. To back this up, any unregistered dogs should be put down on sight, whether or not they are docile, dangerous, on a leash, or running in a field of sheep.

That sounds pretty harsh, particularly for, say, an unregistered chihuahua, but it sheets home the message that all dogs must fit in to our society. MORE>>

Controls with teeth From The Press-- surprisingly quite a good editorial!

.... The futility of attempting to curb dog attacks through legislation was shown by the microchipping debate, which the Government was forced to water down in the face of vigorous opposition particularly from farmers, ending up with an essentially vain piece of legislation. Among the various lessons of that exercise was that microchips are only useful if they are implanted in a dog that later causes problem – and that dog is then caught in the act. MORE>>

Dog-owners must get the message (I hate this title... I mean, more media gigs.. HOW many pet owners ve a dog like that describe below !! hello ?!?!) Taranaki Time

A nip on the hand or leg ratchets up the fear factor by another hundred. Two enraged fighting dogs, all muscles and teeth and intent on killing, can be terrifying beyond measure. They can rip flesh to the bone faster than the human eye can see it happening, and cause agonising and hideously disfiguring - and sometime lethal - wounds. YA, Guns too!

In this little country, with the total population of barely a mid-sized city elsewhere in the world, four people have been killed by dogs in the last decade, how many died from gun shot wounds, or car accidents... put things in perspective, will ya?
scores of people have been hospitalised - with lifelong trauma and scars - and hundreds more dog-bite victims treated in clinics.

Dog attack shatters woman's stroll

A stroll in the park turned into a nightmare for a North Canterbury woman when her "toy dog" was attacked and killed by a bull terrier-cross that turned on her when she tried to intervene.

The woman received bites on the hands and required medical attention.

The attack was on Sunday – the day after a 56-year-old Bay of Plenty woman was mauled to death by a pitbull and a staffordshire terrier in Murupara.

(...)

The North Canterbury woman, who declined to be named, was walking her bichon frise in Rutherford Reserve, Culverden, on Sunday afternoon when confronted by a larger dog, not on a leash, with its owner some distance off.

The larger dog attacked the smaller one and the woman was bitten attempting to come to her pet's rescue, Hurunui District Council dog control officer Alan Dean said.

The bull terrier cross was put down by its owner and the dead dog sighted by the police, he said.

Hurunui District Council environmental manager Andrew Feierabend said the owner of the bull terrier had offered to pay veterinary fees and medical expenses to the injured woman. MORE>>

That's what you get with dogs that aren't socialised. Now that Bull Terriers are labelled, who wants to approach one! It's sad...

Woman pushing pram bitten by dog

A dog was put down after biting a woman pushing her 11-month old daughter in a pram in the vicinity of the Te Ngae Shopping Centre last week.

The incident on Wednesday afternoon was witnessed by a staff member of the Rotorua District Council's Animal Control Unit who happened to be in the area. She immediately went to the address of the registered bulldog cross where the owner agreed to its surrender to the unit. The dog was later impounded and put down. (...)

Supervisor, Animal Control, Kevin Coutts said the incident could have been avoided had gates to the property been shut. "If this had been done the lady wouldn't have gone through a traumatic experience and the owner would still have his dog. Gates being left open is a constant source of frustration for us," he said.

Will the media report every dog attack now? It only needs to be in the media 5% for people to think, to assume that all dogs are bad.

Dogs have their day at the Lido

About 90 pups and their families came, sat and stayed at yesterday's Dog Day Out at the Lido Aquatic Centre.

The event originally was scheduled for inside the pool complex, but fears of a few "floaties" changed the authorities' minds and the event was moved to the adjacent park.

But there were still plenty of activities for everyone to sink their teeth into, including a doggie toy and lolly scramble, races, a loudest bark competition and fancy dress.

A police dog gave a demonstration and Feilding Dog Training Club instructor Bronwen Burnette gave a "Paws N Music" performance.

"It's the next level up from obedience, but not formal. It's like tricks and moves that look like the dog is dancing to music."

After Saturday's fatal dog attack near Whakatane making headline news, Ms Burnette said the event was a chance to promote the other side of dog ownership.

"That attack doesn't help us, so we are saying you can have good, responsible ownership and take dogs to places like this."

As well as dog owners, the park turned into a kind of canine car- yard with many prospective owners turning up to do some paw-kicking and to have a chat with owners about the pros and cons of different breeds.

Death by dog

Two dogs attack a middle-aged Bay of Plenty woman, writes The Southland Times in an editorial.
(...)
A reminder, certainly, that a great many dogs can be dangerous. On the Invercargill City Council's dangerous dogs list there's even a chihuahua to be found. Small dogs can be just as agressive, and even more so as they have the 'small dog syndrome' which their owners make worse.

Inevitably, and appropriately, the adequacy of dog control practice and the legislation behind it will once again be scrutinised.

The point will be lost on nobody, however, that this exercise has been conducted many times before, sometimes with comparative dispassion and sometimes – notably the Carolina case – with a great deal of collective anger and heated concern. Measures to improve dog control and monitoring have extended to contentious microchipping requirements.

One conclusion that must be reached, however, is that at the very least more attention should paid to the unlovely but necessary task of better educating ourselves about what to do when confronted by, or even attacked by, a menacing dog.

READ THE REST ... excellent reading...

Many people will be quick to argue that it shouldn't come to this. But it does and the right sorts of response are still not sufficiently known.

Our children are perhaps being taught some measure of care around a dog, but are they taught to recognise in dogs the signs of aggression – and of fear – that lead to an attack. For that matter, do adults? Rules like always allowing even the most imposing dog room to "escape", not directly eyeballing the animal, and neither yelling and acting dominant nor (this may be harder) acting submissive.

Do we know that it's a good idea to stand with your shoulders off-square? To slowly circle with it if it starts walking around us.

And – horribly – do we know that if it attacks anyway that it's best to resist the temptation to tear yourself out of its mouth, because rips are worse than incisions and one bite is better than many? It's time for ugly practicalities to become better known.

Attack dogs not on register

A fatal dog attack on a Bay of Plenty woman is raising fears that tougher dog control laws are not working after it was found the dogs were not registered.

Well, well... gee I predicted that, like all the rest of dog trainers around the country. When you create a law that most people don't believe in, it's doomed to fail. Raising the price of an unregistered dog is, to me, the most stupidest thing you can do. What you want is to register your dog FOR FREE. Then you've got a database of all dogs. Putting the price of registration to 9in some cities) over $100 is ludicrous!

(...)

Owners can be jailed or fined up to $20,000 for owning a dog involved in a serious attack.

The Whakatane District Council now plans to review the steps it can take to ensure that dog owners register and contain their dogs. So let's fine the good dog owners?? let's make the price of fines out of reach for most people's budget... but that'll show 'em, hein?

Ohlson's family say more needs to be done to prevent such cases. Surely does... one question: why weren't the dogs registered?

Close friend Brenda Barnett said local people feared for their safety because there were so many dogs roaming the streets in the area.

"We've only got one dog-control man here and it's just not working," she said. A community approach might be a good answer. Why leave it up to the government??

"Maybe with what's happened the police will get involved, because it's going to happen again if they don't do something.

"There are other dogs that are vicious around here." Those are the dogs that need to seen to!

(...)

Public outrage sparked a raft of new legislation, including a requirement for councils to identify and classify menacing dogs and the microchipping bill introduced last year that required all newly registered dogs, except farm dogs, to be microchipped.

National Party associate local government spokeswoman Sandra Goudie said the latest incident was shocking and called for an investigation into the impact of the recent law changes, including whether microchipping had affected the number of dogs being registered.

New Zealand Kennel Club senior vice-president Martin Hewitt said it had opposed microchipping because it did not believe it would solve the problem.

"Identification is one thing, but how is that actually going to stop a dangerous dog attacking?" he said.

There needed to be more controls placed on dog owners and "backyard breeders", Hewitt said. I don't agree.

The club supported screening for prospective dog owners and breeders similar to applying for a driver's licence. Yes, I agree with this. And include dog education programme in the mix to!

MORE MEDIA articles

Radio host Paul Holmes said the problem seemed to be that pitbulls were not banned because they did not exist as a breed.

"Why don't we simply ban dogs that look like killers – thick short legs, nasty snarls, heads like pigs and jaws like bolt cutters?"

Miss Clark said personally nothing would please her more.

"I think it's horrific that these dogs are running loose anywhere in New Zealand," she said.

"But you often find there's a lot of passion excited among dog owners on the issue. It's not as simple to make progress as you might think."

Other media article Calls to Ban Vicious Breeds

A man who survived being mauled by dogs six years ago says the death of a 56-year-old Rotorua woman at the weekend is good enough reason to ban vicious breeds. MORE>>

But (Helen) Clark says past experience has shown it is too hard to pin down what constitutes a dangerous breed.

"The advice was that if you tried to define the dogs, then the cross-breeding soon rendered those definitions not particularly relevant, that's the problem," she says.

Clark says it is not as easy to make progress on the issue as one might think.

Kennel Club: Don't blame breed of dog for attack

The New Zealand Kennel Club is urging the public not to blame the breed of dogs responsible for a fatal attack at the weekend.

Virginia Ohlson died from shock and trauma caused by multiple wounds, after being set upon by two dogs while out walking in Murupara.

The pitbull and Staffordshire cross have since been put down but neighbours claim the dogs had been intimidating in the past.
MORE>>

I understand that it's not the breed but the owners, but it's very very hard to see past understanding that when my own dog has been savagely attacked by those breeds not once but THREE times!! Whenever you hear about an attack, one isn't really surprised when it's a pitbull -type breed. And that's the sad part.

Part of the problem is the people who want a pitbull. Those who want one are usually those who want it for defence/protection work, or intimidation work (it works on me and I'm a dog lover). Noa says that all dogs have the potential to cause harm. Yes of course. But not all dogs do. Why? because those good dogs have caring owners. We need more of them. Like Martin Hewitt said: "Don't worry about banning dogs, we should be banning owners," he said."

A dog has the soul of a philosopher. -Plato

Police dog bites three-year-old girl

A three-year-old Christchurch girl is recovering after she was bitten by a police dog that was chasing a suspected criminal.

The child required medical attention and has bite marks around her waist from the attack, which occurred yesterday afternoon in Addington.

Deisa Daufa said she was walking to a dairy from her Addington home with granddaughter Annie-Rose when police appeared in pursuit of a man.

"The dog ran up by us and went for my baby as I'm still holding on to her hand." Daufa said the incident occurred quickly and gave them both a fright. She protected Annie-Rose's face from the dog as police dog-handlers tried to get the dog off her.

The officers were "very nice" and took Annie-Rose to a surgery for treatment, she said.

"They said 'sorry' straight away," Daufa said. "The police didn't want that to happen. I am not angry. I don't want to make a big fuss out of this. It's not too bad. She's OK."

Yes you SHOULD make a big fuss about this because that dog should be put down! Why is there a different law for dog owners and police handlers? There are far too many "incidents" with police dog handlers. Check out the article on this blog Dog Challenge Issued to Police

Annie-Rose was at home playing and laughing as usual last night and would return to the surgery today to have her dressings replaced, Daufa said.

A police spokesman was not able to comment on the incident last night.

Well I want to hear about this 'incident'. A police dog should NOT bite little girls!!

Savage pitbull kills mum

The family of a Bay of Plenty woman killed in a dog attack say the "vicious" dogs had attacked before and should never have been roaming free.

Virginia Ohlson, 56, a member of a well-known family in the Murupara area, was mauled by two dogs - a pitbull and a Staffordshire terrier cross - while on her daily 6.45am walk to buy bread and milk at the local dairy.

She died in an ambulance en route to hospital.

This a tragic event. You go to buy bread to never return. Wow... I can't really phanthom that.

Police are treating the death as a homicide and are investigating charges against the dog owner, a local man. This will be interesting to see what charges will stick! I beleive some dog owner in NZ were put in jail because their dog attacked a human... can't remember the case now.

Both dogs were put down after the attack.

The attack is the country's fourth fatal dog mauling since 1997. In the last year alone, dozens of people - mainly children and the elderly - have been hospitalised in dog attacks. At least 17 of those have suffered severe injuries.

Ohlson was two minutes from her Pine Dr home when the dogs attacked, causing substantial injuries to her lower legs. She staggered towards her home but fell unconscious and was assisted by the dog owner's mother who chased the animals away. Her sister Ivy, who lives not far from where Virginia was attacked, described the dogs as "vicious" and said they should never have been free to attack her sister. Brother Bruce said that dog attacks were far too common.

"Unfortunately it happened to my sister ... It's just gone beyond a joke now. Something has to be done." At a local level, of course. It's interesting how dog attacks around the world have gone up. It's as if dogs are stressed like humans. It's just weird. But then again, perhpas there is more reporting of them in the media too. Or possibly this is the fall out of laws gone bad.

Virginia's cousin Debbie Hynes said the dog's owner - known as Spider -had been warned about the dogs before, adding that he used to live next door to her and his dogs had attacked her dogs.

"The amount of warnings that owner got... "

(...)

Loper said police needed to investigate if someone had been grossly negligent and if any offences had occurred. The dogs' owners were interviewed yesterday afternoon. Loper said police would probably meet the Rotorua crown solicitor for legal advice by the end of the week. He was unaware of previous warnings about the dogs.

MORE>>

The other story can be viewed here. "

New Zealand Kennel Club Senior Vice President Martin Hewitt said it was usually owners who were at fault, not the dogs, because dogs were brought up badly, had been constantly locked up or allowed to roam free.

"Don't worry about banning dogs, we should be banning owners," he said." Yup !

Pure-bred dog owners invited

The pitter-patter of furry paws will echo across Sir Basil Arthur Park this weekend.

The South Canterbury Kennel Society will hold a match parade on Sunday and is encouraging owners of pure-bred dogs to have a go at dog-showing.

Society president Lesley Walker said the day would be about educating dog owners.

"It's not for champion dogs just pure-bred dogs.

"It will be all about learning how to look after your dog with things such as brushing and how to walk your dog being taught."

(...)

The match parade will begin at 1pm and will cost $2 per dog.

Dog's life is a good one

George Eliot once said: "Animals are such agreeable friends, they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms."

Minnie, the five-year-old greyhound, certainly doesn't. She's quite happy to live in happy harmony with the residents of Lifecare Cambridge in her retirement years, maybe understanding they too are in theirs.

Minnie came to Lifecare as a result of principal nurse-manager, Su Robins' implementation of the Eden Alternative Philosophy. The philosophy is an internationally recognised way of delivering care for elders and overcomes the three plagues of loneliness, helplessness and boredom with close and continuing companionship with plants, animals and children. MORE>>

Dog day at Lido is pooh-poohed

Dog poo in the pool is not a good look and Palmerston North's Lido Aquatic Centre has pulled the plug on parts of a planned family doggy fun day on Sunday.

The Lido's Dog Day Out has had to change plans to have dogs swimming in the public pools because city council bylaws prohibit it.

It has also changed the venue - the doggy fun day of competitions will now be held in a park behind the pool.

Facility manager Lynden Noacke admits that having dogs swimming in the public pools would be unwise.

"After second thoughts it didn't look too good for people using the pools," he said.

"So dogs won't be in the water."

Mr Noacke said dogs would have to be kept leashed and owners would be responsible for poop- scooping.

"We'll be handing out doggy doo doo bags as people come in." There has been fair public interest in the day already.

"I think we can accommodate up to 100 dogs," he said. "It's a fun day for people to have with their pets."

Palmerston North City Council dog control officers will be present to maintain order.

Council animal control officer Peter Broughton is optimistic about the event.

"I can't foresee any problems as long as owners follow the rules," he said. "It's no different from the dog shows they have on the Railway Land."

Activities and competitions will include fancy dress, best trick, loudest bark and biggest and smallest dog.

"We'll also be having a young police dog come in and do a display," Mr Noacke said.

The Dog Day Out is Sunday, 10am to 2pm, $5 a dog with gifts of doggie goods and service vouchers for entrants.

Paw thing on the catwalk

Dogs, rabbits and guinea pigs took to the catwalk in an annual animal beauty show that featured one wee problem. MORE>>

Dogs do dash at launch of Antarctic film

Former Antarctica explorer Ray Logie was lucky not to miss the launch of his film in Alexandra on Saturday night.

Arriving at the function on a wheel rig led by huskies, the 74-year-old had a bit of a crash-landing when the snow dogs decided they didn't want to stop.

Mr Logie was the deputy leader of the New Zealand expedition to Antarctica in 1962 and documented most of his life on the ice using an 8mm camera. His polar exploits were recently turned into a movie thanks to Natural History New Zealand film-maker Max Quinn and more than 100 guests attended the premiere on Saturday night. MORE>>

Her business plan was a dog's dinner

Gourmet pet-food maker Milly Parker got into the business by accident, and overcame many obstacles to success. But whatever the challenges, she's never short of ideas, writes Janine Perrett.

When Milly Parker discusses her Happy Yappers biscuit company, it appears to be the familiar success story of a small home-based business growing to the next stage.

Like any good entrepreneur she cheerfully lists the challenges she faces due to the constraints of working from her kitchen - from having to knock back orders because she can't physically meet the demand, to breaking into the export market. MORE>>

Breeder charged over 250 sick pets

A breeder at the centre of New Zealand's biggest animal hoarding case has been charged with neglecting nearly 250 pets.

National dog breed judge David Balfour, 58, has been charged with four counts of ill-treating and failing to ensure the health of 161 cats and 87 dogs at the former Woodville piggery where he used to run an animal breeding business.

Each charge carries a prison term of up to six months and/or a $25,000 fine.

The property was checked by the SPCA in August last year and he was given time to improve conditions there. However, another raid last month allegedly found seriously sick animals. MORE>>

Mauled control officer shoots dog dead

A Hauraki District Council dog control officer is recovering at home after being attacked by a pit bull terrier.

The man was set upon after arriving at a rural property in response to a complaint from a woman that the dog, owned by her son, had attacked her.

The council's senior dog control officer, Murray Sexton, said the woman managed to chain the dog to its kennel, but when the dog control officer got out of his car it lunged - breaking the chain holding it.

"The dog was simply so strong and so aggressive it just snapped off," Mr Sexton said.

(...)

"Because of the breed of dog, when it does go wrong, it goes wrong big time."

The dog control officer had taken time off work. Mr Sexton did not know when he would return.

He said the incident had the potential to be far more serious, and the woman at the Kerepehi property was lucky not to have been more badly hurt.

I can't say that pitbulls are my favourite dog! Not after it attacked my dog (2 of them). Pretty sad that it was her son's dog... and she had to cry for help. They should have watch It's Me or The Dog show last night. It was about dogs splitting up relationships because they didn't know how to train their dog!!

Rescue dog hit by car

He's saved countless people lost in bush across the upper North Island.

But now Jack, the only operational Land Search and Rescue dog north of Taupo, is the one needing help.

The blue heeler was struck by a car two weeks ago, sustaining severe injuries including a broken pelvis and dislocated hip. His owner Malcolm York didn't realise how bad Jack's injuries were until he got him to the vet. The dog was stabilised until he could be seen by specialist veterinary surgeons.

Mr York was then given two options - have Jack put down or find the money for costly surgery.

"It was a hard decision. He's a family member," Mr York says. Mr York opted for the operation and is now looking for $10,000 to pay for it. MORE>>

Donations can be sent to: Bring Jack Back, Auckland Land Search and Rescue, PO Box 90629, Auckland Mail Centre, Auckland.

Cheques should be made payable to: Auckland Land Search and Rescue.

Information, email: malcolm.york@police.govt.nz.

I do believe that those who were rescue contribute to a fund... by donation. I'm sure that many many people do give money when they are rescued, but obviously not enough in order to pay for unexpected bills like dog surgery.

He's as valuable as a Guide Dog, and perhaps even more so as the Rescue Dog can actually save a life. A cane can be used instead of a guide dog, but when you are on your own on a hill with a broken shoulder/leg,etc.. a nose's dog is a welcome sign!

Dog control ahead of meat industry

Manawatu Mayor Ian McKelvie says the future of New Zealand rests firmly on the back of the livestock industry, but it needs to have the best traceability system to enable product to be checked back to the farm.

He officially opened Allflex's new purpose-built New Zealand headquarters in the Manawatu Business Park last week. Allflex makes animal eartags and electronic identification systems. MORE>>

Dogfight on the web

Residents' run-ins with the Manukau City Council over dogs are about to be exposed on the internet.

Berend de Boer has set up the website www.canpoorpeopleowndogs.org.nz.

It lists stories from people who have had their dogs taken by the council's animal control contractors for not being registered or because they are considered to be dangerous.

The Otara man set up the site after reading the story of Nik Taylor, the sickness beneficiary from Otahuhu whose dog Mahia was taken by Auckland City Council animal control officers because he failed to pay the registration fee.

The dog was put down. MORE>>

Well, I commented on this story here. It appears that there are more stories out there not being told

Thousands of animals on pounds' death row

But the numbers being euthanased at the animal management shelter in Wiri are falling, Manukau City Council figures show.

There were 2265 dogs put down in the 2005-06 year compared to 2850 in the previous 12 months, a council report shows.

The drop in deaths mirrors a fall in arrivals at the shelter, down from 4579 in 2004-05 to 3954 a year later.

(blah blah blah... statistics. Check out the next paragraph)

DSS managing director Barry Gillingwater says there is no one reason for the drop in the number of dogs being impounded across the city.

But an increasing reluctance by some people to make complaints because they don't want neighbours to lose a dog could be a factor, he says. Well, well... isn't this what I predicted. Statistics, statistics and more lies. You can't rely on statistics to 'prove' that the dog laws are working. If you ask me, they aren't. People might go into hospital because of a dog bite, but they aren't going to say so because their neighbour's dog is really, deep down, a nice dog.

"Fewer people are ringing up now because they don't want to dob in their neighbours. They will work it out between themselves."

Dog curbs rile farmers

Farmers claim Waikato District Council's proposed bylaw regulating the number of dogs a person can own is barking up the wrong tree.

Under the revised dog control policy, on which the council is seeking public submissions, a permit will be required for people with more than two dogs on a property under 12ha and five dogs on a property over 12ha.

As well as charging farmers for extra permits, the council also plans to drop its prompt payment rebate and introduce a 25 per cent late payment penalty.

Beef and venison farmer Wendy Finlayson, who has several working dogs on her farm near Te Kauwhata, said the proposal was unjust for responsible dog owners.(...)

Waikato Federated Farmers president Peter Buckley said the proposal was impractical for many farmers.

"We have got big sheep stations with 12 or 13 dogs. It's going to cost them something like $800 to get a consent," he said.

Mr Buckley said legislation was already in place to deal with people who did not look after their dogs or had dangerous animals.(...)

Submissions close at 4pm on Thursday.

When a law is imposed because of a minority group, it's a bad law. Same example applies to the Anti-Smacking Law that NZ wants to adopt. You can't legislate bad people!