Heroic dog bites owner's attacker

A dog came to the rescue of its owner, biting an armed man who was attacking her.

 The 19-year-old woman was in a Christchurch park with her dog just before 2am today when she was attacked, Detective Greg Dalziel said. The woman fought back, and so did her dog.

 The woman suffered cuts and bruises when she was jumped by the man who police said had a weapon on him in Jellie Park, Burnside. But she scratched her attacker and her dog bit the man in the shoulder or neck, Mr Dalziel said. "The injuries are likely to be causing the offender discomfort,'' he said.
. - APNZ

CCTV reveals dog burglar stole cafe's pastries

An Arrowtown cafe was left in short supply of bread after a dog with a penchant for panini, French sticks, doughnuts and bagels made off with $60 worth of stock.

 Bread was delivered to Arrowtown's Espresso Love cafe at the earlier time of 3am last Saturday and left in an outside area. Cafe owner Jacynda Wallace said she arrived at the cafe to find nearly all of the bread destined for the day's customers gone.

 The theft was reported at 9am and Ms Wallace expected police to be looking for a two-legged culprit. Arrowtown's CCTV system was used to identify who had stolen the bread and after scouring the tape, Arrowtown community constable Senior Constable Beth Fookes discovered the offender was a black Labrador.  MORE>>

Care call after dog swallows fish hook

A dog owner is pleading for fishermen to take care after her young dog swallowed a fish hook on the beach and needed major surgery costing $2500.

 Stephanie Hodges was walking 20-week-old Rottweiler Mila along Papamoa Beach last Friday morning when the dog swallowed a large hook. Mila started gagging and Ms Hodges noticed the trace from a long-line hanging from her mouth.

 "We'd been warned about it at puppy class and they said never to pull it out," she said. She wrapped the rest of the cord around Mila's collar and got her to the vet as fast as possible. MORE>>

Pet bonds may ease rental woes

Cantabrians are spending thousands of dollars on "pet bonds" to ensure their four-legged friends can move house with them. A lack of pet-friendly rentals has seen animal protection groups swamped with abandoned pets. The Tenants Protection Agency (TPA) knows of one man who paid a $2000 pet bond to secure a rental, and "picky landlords" are being blamed for the increase in the number of abandoned pets. Pam Howard, manager at Bromley's Dog Watch Adoption Centre, said the centre received "heaps of calls weekly" from people looking to rehome their dogs. "There's a shortage of decent rental properties and so much demand. Landlords can be picky nowadays." She said the main reasons for people giving up their dogs were because they were leaving New Zealand, their relationships were breaking up or they could not find a rental that allowed pets. "Another problem is people who are having earthquake repairs done on their homes are struggling to find a short-term lease for two or three months, and if they can find one, then they can't find one that will let them take their pets," she said. MORE>> Holmes For Rent is a company that offers pet-friendly accommodation in Christchurch.