Dog-bite scrap with council could end in court

A Timaru woman is prepared to go to court to settle her grievance with the Timaru District Council after her dog bit a postal delivery worker.

At least she can go to court. She wasn't shut down!

Carer Dyane Rawston paid a $250 fine in May after Andy, her 10-year-old fox terrier cross, bit a postie outside her former house on Brunswick St.

Read below about why he bite the postie!

While she disputed the complainant's version of events and tried to talk to the council about it, Ms Rawston said her side of the story was ignored and she had no choice but to pay the fine.

funny that!

Four days ago she received another infringement notice for $300 for "failure to comply with effects of dog as menacing dog". The notice carried the hand written warning "please note that an infringement notice will be issued every 24 hours until compliance".

Over the top@!

Problems started on April 27 when Ms Rawston and her flatmate were unloading a vehicle after a grocery trip. Her two dogs Andy and Sparky were with her as the postie cycled to her mailbox. Ms Rawston said Andy ran up to the postie, who in response kicked her in the head, causing the dog to bite her on the foot.

A written complaint to the council said the postie "brushed off" Andy, Ms Rawston said.

hum... brushed off... I'm not quite too sure why posties don't carry treats with them. When they see a dog coming towards them to say hello, send a few treats past their head, and bang... the dog goes for the food.

THE WITNESS: However, Roger Thompson, who lived at the same address, said he saw the incident from a room in the house and agreed with Ms Rawston that Andy bit because she had been kicked.

After she paid the fine, the matter seemed to come to an end, until Mr Thompson said an animal control officer visited the pair last week at their residence on Gould St.

Mr Thompson said he was told Andy should be muzzled and microchipped a move Ms Rawston is unwilling to take because she did not believe it was necessary.

However, council building and environmental services manager David Armstrong did not believe the council had been over-zealous in its handling of the incident. Oh really !! Why aren't dog owners believed !! sounds like they have a problem with their ego.. uniform does not mean you don't have to abide by the law!

Andy was classified menacing not dangerous. A menacing dog "may pose a risk" and the designation was "at the lower end of the scale", Mr Armstrong said.

From the point of classification, Ms Rawston was given one month to comply with conditions imposed that she microchip Andy, have her spayed and muzzle her whenever she is in public.

If she wished she could have written to the council to ask for a formal review. Neither Ms Rawston nor Mr Thompson did that, Mr Armstrong said.

Even if you do write to the council, they ignore you, and issue you with another fine. You don't have your dog in court, nor your day in court!

The initial problem was that although Ms Rawston called Andy back, the dog ran at the postie and did not respond to her owner's command, he said.

I'm sure that postie has met that dog numerous times on their run. Yes, I know that little dogs pose as much of a problem as bigger dogs, but like I said... throw some treats to the dog, and you get a happy dog!

"The law is that everyone must have unimpeded access to the front door. We have a postie doing her job who got bitten. Unfortunately the wee dogs cause the problems."

How about the wee postie who kicked her in the head?