Dog owner prosecuted over weka killing

The Department of Conservation (DOC) says it has laid three charges against a Hauraki Gulf resident whose dogs killed 14 endangered weka at the Kawau Island Historic Reserve in May this year.

The man is charged with allowing his dogs to enter a DOC reserve on two separate occasions, and with being the owner of dogs that attacked and killed protected wildlife - a charge that carries a maximum penalty of three years in jail and/or a $20,000 fine.

He is due to appear in Warkworth District Court on December 8.

DOC's Warkworth biodiversity manager Rory Renwick said it was important dog owners realised the consequences to endangered wildlife of not having their dog under control, and that they could be prosecuted. MORE>>

Police hunting puppy abuser

Police are looking for a woman who starved her puppy for a month in what the SPCA has described as one of New Zealand's worst cases of animal neglect.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Paulette Taki, who failed to appear in the Auckland District Court yesterday to be sentenced on charges of animal neglect - the fifth court appearance she has failed to turn up to.

Taki faces a maximum penalty of a $25,000 fine or six months in jail. Anyone with information on her whereabouts can call Auckland police on 09) 302 6400 or the Auckland SPCA on 09) 256 7300

Back on his feet thanks to four-legged friends

Dog triallist John Bartlett credits the sport with saving his life and getting him back on his feet - after a farm crash broke his back last year.

When the quad Bartlett was riding flipped on a steep farm track, it was the dog tray that took most of the crushing impact against the ground, and the tray provided breathing space as he waited four hours for help.

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Bartlett and his canine team were tasked with keeping several sets of yards stocked with sheep, as the lambs were brought in for a pre-weaning drench.

It was the start of a busy week that was going to be "quite hard on the dogs".

With the first set of yards filled up, Bartlett was driving with his dogs on the back to the yards, when he spotted something that made him detour.

Some sheep in a nearby paddock were heading away towards an open gate that would have taken them further away from the stockyards.

"I thought, "I'll just nip up there and shut that gate, and save time later in the week,'" he said.

Several factors combined to create the disaster that followed. MORE>>

Missing tramper's remains found

Search dog handler Dave Krehic's determination to find the remains of missing Auckland tramper Irina Yun (36) paid off last weekend, when his privately organised search party, including his German short- haired pointer Stig, found bones in the Dart River, about 3km-4km below the Dart Hut.

Ms Yun had been missing in the Mt Aspiring National Park since late December last year. MORE>>

Shyla's a purr-fect little mum

A cat-loving chihuahua cross has become a surrogate mother, suckling seven abandoned kittens.

Two-year-old Shyla had never had puppies, but her Christchurch owner, veterinarian Angela McFall, said the dog had always been a cat fancier.

"She gets a bit bossy with dogs, whereas she loves cats," McFall said. MORE>>

Top dog at Clareville show

A Masterton corgi breeder won best of show at the Clareville dog champs on Saturday and beat out hundreds of rivals from across New Zealand.

Chris Sigvertsen, who has owned and bred Welsh corgis over the past decade since first using them to help herd cattle, won the champs ribbon with Debbie - pedigree name Glen Opal Costabom - on the opening day of the three-day event.

The Wairarapa Kennel Association hosted the triple championship show, which ended today, and took entries comprising more than 500 dogs from as far away as Whangarei and Christchurch.

Entrants competed over seven group events over the three days that were critiqued by judges from Australia and New Zealand. MORE>>

Remorseful dog owner escapes jail

A dog owner's extraordinary efforts to make amends to her victim following a vicious dog attack have helped her avoid a prison sentence.

Tokoroa District Court yesterday heard how dog owner Tara Tuhakaraina visited victim Maggie Christensen in hospital the day after the August attack. She later worked on the family's farm to help out Mrs Christensen's husband Sven while his wife recovered in Waikato Hospital.

Mrs Christensen told the Waikato Times she was relieved to hear Tuhakaraina had not been sent to prison.

"I'm quite happy for her. She made a mistake, but she's not a criminal," said Mrs Christensen, who has spent 25 hours in surgery recovering from the injuries she received.

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Some people would have wanted to put her away for 5 years,... but I always think that restorative justice is the better way to go. A lot of dog owners just don't understand how to read their dog's anxiwty levels, or their stress, etc etc... they aren't criminals, just uneducated!!

Kennel spots in short supply over Xmas

Pet owners need to book now if they're to have a dog's chance of finding kennels or a cattery for their animal over the Christmas break.

Sunday News went on a nationwide search to find what it costs to have your dog or cat cared for and what owners should look for when checking out boarding facilities.

Auckland is the most expensive places to house your animal. At the top end of the market, Pets In The City in Mt Wellington, Auckland, has vista executive suites from $46.50 a day. Your pampered pooch will have a super king bed, duvet and pillow and a flat screen LCD TV tuned to Animal Planet or Nickelodeon with cookies to snack on. Critter Creek in Kumeu, Auckland, charges up to $33 a night for large dogs and $16 for cats. Paws Inn, Dunedin, charges $15 for any sized dog and $10 for cats.

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Our Homestay for Dogs will be booked up pretty soon too!

Police dog receives special award

On Saturday 7 November Christchurch police dog Ryka was presented with a special award from the German Shepherd Dog Advisory Council, at Te Marua, north of Wellington. He and his handler Constable Tom Frost received the award which recognises the excellent work Ryka did 18 months ago in helping save the life of a woman who was being viciously attacked in a domestic violence incident.

'A feel-good dog show'

They lick you, dig the garden and chase balls but, for some artists, they also offer inspiration.

New Plymouth's Kina NZ and Art Space latest exhibition Fetch! – A Dog Show has seen artists from around the country produce pieces all about the pooch.

The exhibition, which opened on Friday night, features paintings and sculptural work and pays homage to man's best friend. Kina communications co-ordinator Rose Walkinshaw says the exhibition is a bit of fun. "It's a feel-good dog show," she explains.

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Bites worse than bark

Beware the labrador - and even the bichon frise.

When it comes to dog attacks on humans, the culprits are not always the breeds we tend to vilify.

Lee Exler, of North Shore City animal control, said labradors and labrador-crosses - usually seen as dopey family dogs - usually top the area's bite statistics.

"All dogs are wolves in disguise," said Exler. "The only difference between labradors and pit bulls and rottweilers are people's perceptions." And the owners that own them.

Because people perceive the labrador to be harmless, they will step over one on a doorstep, for example, he said.

"Humans, in their stupidity, will put them in that situation where they will bite."

They don't read the body language of dogs... nor would they know how to! Doggone Safe is one programme that does teach kids and their parents what to look for. Here in Christchurch, Naked Dog Training offers this programme.

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In Hamilton, labradors and lab-crosses were involved in more attacks than all but two other breeds - pitbulls, German shepherds and related crosses. Remember too, that there are more labs in society than pitbulls GS and their crosses... or am I wrong in thinking this?

But it's not just big dogs whose bite is worse than their bark.

A bichon frise was classified as menacing under the Dog Control Act after it ran from its owner's property and bit a passerby on the calf in Auckland in 2007.

Animal pound mistakenly kills dog before owner's return

A staff error at the Manukau animal pound saw a dog mistakenly put down before its owner was able to collect it.

Kaos, a sharpay cross belonging to Manurewa woman Michelle Griffiths, was impounded on September 17 and put down on September 25.

"I got a little handwritten card - they said they would hold her until the 26th," Miss Griffiths said.

"I went to the pound to pick my baby up and they said 'She was killed yesterday, sorry we got the kill date wrong'."

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Mr Gillingwater said Kaos was originally impounded due to welfare issues, but Miss Griffiths believes the situation could have easily been avoided.

She said although Kaos was seized on grounds of abandonment, she had simply been at work and thought her pet was safe at home.

I wonder how they assessed this... If the dog is in the backyard, surely it's not abandonned. Another good reason for keeping your dog inside-- predators.

Christine Breen, a trustee of animal welfare group Chained Dog Awareness NZ, said the case showed that animal control staff had failed in their duty.

"Kaos definitely hadn't been abandoned. It would have been easy to find out that Michelle lived on the property."

Dog-owner licence idea gets thumbs down

A proposal to license dog owners along with their pets is unlikely to work, Nelson animal control and welfare officials say.

A major review of dog laws announced by Local Government Minister Rodney Hide this week is set to consider whether owners as well as their dogs should be licensed.

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Nelson SPCA inspector Craig Crowley said the biggest problem in dealing with owners was getting hold of unregistered dog owners.

"No matter what law you have in place, there will always be people who won't adhere to it."

Mr Crowley said the current law gave councils the power to issue fines on the spot, which not many other official organisations were able to do.

"I just don't think [licensing owners] adds to that. I can't see any benefit." MORE>>

More bureaucracy.