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!!