Pitbull-cross puppy killer jailed

A Te Kuiti man who bludgeoned a six-month-old pitbull-cross puppy to death with a golf club has been sentenced to two years and four months.

Mathew Awhi George pleaded guilty in April to charges of willfully ill-treating an animal, possessing an offensive weapon and threatening behaviour.

His prison sentence on the three charges is to be served cumulatively.
George had told the court he killed the dog because it "bit the hand that fed him".
Police had arrived during the attack but George threatened them with an axe, a shovel and a steel bar during a stand-off lasting 35 minutes.

- NZ Herald staff

Dogsledding... in New Zealand?

You might expect to see teams of sled dogs racing across snow in Alaska, but they’re a little more out of the ordinary in Taupo.

This year’s New Zealand sled dog championships will be held in the Kaiangaria forest near Taupo in late July.
Last year, current national four-dog freighting champion Mark Roberts trained his team of Siberian huskies five days a week, up to 13km a day – and this year he hopes to win the six-dog freight event, which he says is “the most difficult”.

“The dogs are pulling140kg in weights, plus the 40kg cart and me,” he says, a total weight of 260kg.
“It’s tough for me too because if I’m working up a hill or through mud I have to get off the cart and work with the dogs.”  

Around 50 people and more than 100 dogs will compete in the championship.

Dog hurt in crash survives in wild

A hunting dog survived three weeks living wild with a broken leg after a car crash in Canterbury that seriously injured two people.

Police said a Canterbury woman had been charged with careless driving causing injury after the accident north of Ashburton in May.

The woman allegedly tried to overtake and collided head-on with Christchurch man Colin Hill, who was returning from a hunting trip and had his five hunting dogs in the back of his ute.

A man and woman in the car behind Hill lost control of their vehicle and were badly injured, and Hill's dogs were scattered across State Highway 1. Hill and partner Olivia Bishop, who live in New Brighton, pleaded for people to report sightings of their dog Brin, which disappeared after the accident.MORE>>

Dog-killing sea slugs found in Pilot Bay

Grey side-gilled sea slugs found in Pilot Bay are the same species as those attributed to the 2009 dog deaths.

"It's a new risk," said Dr Jim Miller, medical health officer at Toi Te Ora - Public Health Service. "It's another thing for people to look out for."

While the sea slugs have been seen in the water, there have been no reports of their presence on land.

Rob Donald, of the Bay of Plenty Regional Council, said the sea slugs become a risk when they start to wash up on beaches. MORE>>

100 Dogs And Competitors To Contest Gruelling Nz Sled Dog Champs Near Taupo

About 50 people and more than 100 dogs will take part in the gruelling New Zealand sled dog championships in the Kaiangaroa forest near Taupo next month.

One of the teams of (six) huskies will be pulling more than a quarter of a tonne around an 8.5km course. This is the 10th year of the nationals and the four and six dog freight events will be the toughest on in the July 23rd championships.

``Those races will cover 8.5km and will take just over half an hour,'' current national four-dog freight team champion Mark Roberts of Christchurch said today.

``My dad spent time in Antarctica in the 1960s working with sled dogs, so I've always been interested in them. Earlier this year I did a tough overnight trip in Central Otago and the dogs covered 50km in two days. The dogs had a lot of deep river crossings and thick mud and rocks to contend with
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Dog officers accused of lurking

Dog control officers are hiding in bushes and lurking in cars in a covert surveillance tactic to gather more fines, dog owners claim.

The owners say the fines - which can be for infringements including failure to keep a dog under control and failing to remove faeces - have become about "revenue collecting".

However, the Auckland Council said yesterday there was no incentive for dog control officers to issue a quota of tickets and the officers were not allowed to hide in bushes.

Kate Burke, who lives in Pt Chevalier, said she had written to Auckland Mayor Len Brown criticising Animal Control Services, a company contracted by the council to enforce city-wide dog bylaws.

"There is a strongly held and widespread view in the community that responsible dog owners are being targeted as a source of revenue collection," she wrote.

The animal control officers were often unprofessional, dishonest and aggressive, and were just revenue-collecting, she said. Dog owner Sean Curham said he had seen an animal officer crouched in a bush at a park. "He was tucked out of sight. He was away from his van and was deliberately out of sight."

(...)

The Westmere coastal park is a popular spot for dog walkers. Dogs are allowed to run free within the grassy park area, but legally have to be on a leash along the entry walkway and in the carpark.

On the day of the ticket, Ms Burke was leading her dog Mozart, unleashed, back to her car. After noticing an officer writing while sitting in a marked car, Ms Burke asked whether she was getting a ticket.

"[The officer said] 'I'm catching up on my paperwork, but now you have interrupted me, maybe now I will'."

Ms Burke received a ticket for $1800 in the mail - $300 for a dog off-leash, $750 for wilful obstruction and $750 for failure to supply details.

Auckland Council has since reduced the off-leash dog and the wilful obstruction fine back to warnings.

Ms Burke said she would fight the $750 ticket for failure to supply details in court, saying: "There's still some dispute around what actually went down."

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This job should not be contracted out!! If you have a contract, then you MUST show that you are WORKING for your money! How do you do that?!?

And, I'd also like to know what kind of animal qualification they have?

And and... that last story about the ticket $1800 !!! that's OBSCENE !! You don't even get that for speeding ! Where the hell do they get these fine? 

Tyre-biting dog 'haunted by accident'

A dog that chewed his way through four tyres, damaging two police cars and an animal control vehicle, is haunted by memories of being hit by a truck as a pup, say its owners.

Bruno, a 7-year-old mixed-breed dog from South Auckland, launched his attack on a patrolling police car that had stopped in Mangere in the early hours of yesterday morning.

The sergeant drove away from the dog, changed the tyre and then returned to investigate - only to have the dog eat its way through a second tyre.

Not satisfied with the first two tyres, the dog also punctured the tyre of a second patrol car and the animal control services vehicle which were called in to help.

(...)

Animal control services won't release Bruno unless the owners agree to keep him in a 3m by 3m run, with fences at least 1.8m high.
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Christchurch shelters sending pets north

Overflowing animal shelters in Christchurch are sending traumatised pets north in the hope of finding them new homes.

Since the first earthquake, last September, 47 cats, turtles and roosters have been sent to Wellington's Helping You Help Animals, and a further 21 dogs will join them this week.

All of them are family pets that became homeless or had to be given up because of the earthquakes, said spokeswoman Carolyn Press-McKenzie. MORE>>

Wanganui dogs dominate trials

Hunterville's Guy Peacock, running his 3-year-old dog Frank, won the zigzag hunt at the New Zealand sheep dog trial championship in Masterton on Saturday and paved the way for the Wanganui centre to win the Cyril Perry trophy - making it the most successful centre at the championships.

Bruce Parkinson's Brook won the North Island title in the shorthead and yard, while three other Wanganui triallists were placed just behind him - Kathryn Oliver's Kim, Donald Wickham's Berk, and Don White's Cash.

Parkinson was the first to run in the final for the NZ championship. Brook headed well but had her sheep run away to the left just after they were started down the hill. After more to-and-froing across the hill, Brook had them under control and lost only half a point from the first drive to the pen. It was a brilliant recovery, well deserving of second place.

MORE>>

Sheep deaths blamed on runaway pig dogs

A spate of dog attacks on sheep has farmers calling for tighter controls on pig hunters.

Taieri Mouth farmers have lost more than 40 sheep in the past three weeks, blaming the losses on runaway pig-hunting dogs.

Allan Gorton said he had lost 31 sheep to dog attacks, while a neighbour, John King, had lost "at least" 10 sheep. MORE>>

Quake dog seeks home

A dog owned by a woman who died in the earthquake-hit Canterbury Television building needs a new home.
The owner of Maisie, a six-year-old short-haired jack russell, died when the February 22 quake hit Christchurch.

Days after the quake, the dog was dropped in at SPCA Canterbury by the woman's mother.
"The woman who died had a 12-year-old daughter, and the family had no ability to look after Maisie, so we took her," SPCA Canterbury manager Geoff Sutton said.
MORE>>

I'm sure he's adopted now!! 

$500 pup pawn in dog fights

A man who bet money on dog fights in the Wairarapa now fears his own pet has been stolen and will be used by fight organisers.

The man, who refused to be named to protect himself and his young family, said he had twice attended illegal dog-fighting events in Masterton, and was aware they were also held in Carterton and Porirua.

He attended his first fight three years ago. "There was at least 40 people there, the beer was free, and we had a ringside table."The male I was backing must have killed at least two dogs before they retired him for the night. He was stuffed. I won $900 in an hour off that dog." 

He attended another fight in January this year but left halfway through. "I went for the money. But ... it was just too much." Non-fighting dogs, and even cats, had been used as bait.

Now, he fears his $500 purebred puppy, which disappeared three weeks ago, has been taken by fight organisers.

Gee, I don't think too many people are going to feel sorry for you, but we'll surely feel sorry for the puppy. You almost don't deserve a dog, but hey... we can always forgive people. That's what life is all about. They say that we have dogs so that they can teach us lessons! Hope you learned yours.

SPCA struggling as dog numbers swell

The SPCA is considering setting up mobile adoption centres in upmarket suburbs to help deal with an unprecedented number of dumped pets.

Chief executive officer Christine Kalin said that three weeks ago there were more than 120 dogs at Animal Village in Mangere. This number had now grown to 163.

And as well as a growing intake, Ms Kalin said adoptions were decreasing.MORE>>

Group says it's a dog's life without canine playgrounds

Calls for a dog playground in Palmerston North are mounting.

The Dog Parks Action Group has been formed to encourage the development that has become a feature of many overseas cities, and has been picked up in New Zealand in Christchurch. Group members Bruce Thomson and Sue Flynn put the proposal to the Palmerston North City Council's community wellbeing committee yesterday, using the chance to comment on the draft dog control policy to put their case.

They asked the council to develop one or two fenced, trial dog playgrounds.

Mrs Flynn said having a place to go where dogs could play off the leash while their owners met for a chat would provide an important opportunity for people to socialise.MORE>>

Arctic dog race adapted for NZ winters

Adapting a sport designed for the snow-bound Arctic regions of the United States, Canada and Russia for the milder New Zealand winter requires more than a little Kiwi ingenuity.

Nowhere was that more evident than at the Sandy Point Scarper where labradors, pointers, boxers and huntaways went head to head with the more traditional polar breeds of Siberian huskies and Alaskan malamutes racing in fun and official competition.

Southland Sled Dog Association president Haakon Berg said mushers from across the South Island converged on Fosbender Park, with about 40 en-tries in the competition, which inclu-ded canicross – cross-country running while hitched to a dog – one and two-dog scooters, two-to-six-dog sprints and one-to-three-dog freight races.

A further 30 competed in the fun junior and senior races at the weekend.
The sport has grown rapidly in the South Island from its humble beginnings about 20 years ago.MORE>>

Christchurch supplement improves arthritic conditions, study shows

An Australian clinical study trial of a Christchurch-made green shell mussel health product has found arthritic conditions improved by 43 per cent for people taking the supplement.
The product of Bromley-based manufacturer Aroma NZ was trialled by Queensland University to determine its benefits.
Company director Ben Winters said it was well-known that green shell mussel powder gave ''great'' results to people and animals suffering joint pain and inflammation.
(...)
The results just released showed a 43 per cent improvement over eight weeks in arthritis sufferers who took part in the trial with a significant reduction in joint pain and increased joint mobility in patients.
''It confirms the product contains significant anti-inflammatory properties,'' Mr Winters said.

The company has been producing various products for more than 50 years in Christchurch.
Mr Winters' grandfather owned an essences and flavourings business in Rotterdam which he further developed in Christchurch from 1961.MORE>>

Microchip links owner and lost dog a year on

microchip has helped reunite a lost dog with her family, a year after she went missing.
Wellington SPCA's animal rescue unit found Marley running around in traffic on State Highway 2 near Petone on Sunday, and took her to the SPCA base in Newtown.

SPCA senior inspector Ben Lakomy said Marley was extremely underweight and in a "pretty rough" condition.
Thanks to a microchip the size of a grain of rice, the SPCA was able to find Marley's owner, who had last seen her about a year ago.

Mr Lakomy said: "We rang some of the neighbours first, just to make sure she hadn't been at that address when she got into that condition, but they said they hadn't seen her there for ages."

When he rang Marley's owner in Porirua, Hinetaapora Moko-Mead, she was overjoyed. "They were very, very shocked to get a call from us, they were over the moon, and quite emotional when they came in." MORE>>

Chasing pet blamed for boy's tank death

A little boy in a small East Coast town may have been chasing his puppy when he fell into an unused water tank and drowned.

Michael Te Kapurangi Walker-Mitchell of Whatatutu, who was known around the village as a playful and cheerful young boy, had just celebrated his fourth birthday.MORE>>

Call for better dog controls in Samoa

A New Zealand animal health researcher says dogs in Samoa need to be better controlled to improve their lives.
Unitec senior lecturer, Mark Farnsworth, says data he’s gathered shows the dog population is getting out of control as many dogs are not de-sexed.

He says lack of adequate canine welfare leads to problems with dogs being aggressive towards people, dogs being poorly controlled and puppies without homes being killed. MORE>>

Woman denies using dogs in assaults

An 18-year-old woman is denying setting her three dogs on a Japanese woman.
Defence counsel Angela Grant indicated Phillipa Ann Parker would plead not guilty to three charges of using a dog as a weapon when she appeared at a hearing of Christchurch District Court today.
Judge David Saunders remanded Parker on bail to August 1 for a status hearing.
Her alleged co-offender, Steven Donaldson, 25, pleaded not guilty to similar charges a month ago and was remanded on bail for a status hearing on July 4.
The pair were arrested after a Japanese woman alleged late in April that two people had made racist comments to her in Lincoln Road and then set their dogs on her, encouraging them to bite her.
She backed against a wall and escaped serious injury after help from a passerby.

Shaved rear-ends all the rage

Poodle continental clips, where the dog's rear-end is shaved apart from a few "pom poms", were all the rage at the Wellington Kennel Association's 125th anniversary show yesterday.

It was held at the New Zealand Kennel Club Exhibition Centre in Porirua, with judges from around the world and dogs from all around New Zealand.MORE>>