After two close encounters with aggressive dogs in as many months – the latest on the Hauraki Rail Trail – a Tauranga couple say they’ll be pushing for tougher dog control laws.
Paul and Dianne Noonan were riding towards Paeroa on October 16 when a dog ran towards them after they turned from River Bank Rd into Te Aroha Rd.
The dog jumped at Dianne, biting her shoe when she kicked out to protect herself.
It was the second time in less than two months she had faced an aggressive dog.
In September, while cycling back home near Bethlehem, another dog “squeezed through a fence” and bit her right calf, which required medical treatment and antibiotics.
Dianne said she felt “very distraught” following the latest incident, and was disillusioned by the limited consequences for the dogs’ owners.
“It seems to me that a dog’s life is more valuable than a human’s,” she said. “The law needs to change so that any dog attack on a human leads to the euthanasia of that dog.
“I intend to keep lobbying [regarding] this issue. I will probably have a meeting with my local MP next.”
According to the Dog Control Act 1996, anyone who sees a dog attacking a person, pet, livestock, or protected wildlife can seize – or if needed, destroy – the animal to stop the attack. Seized dogs are handed to dog control officers, who can also destroy dogs if necessary.
Dianne told The Profile she’d been informed by Tauranga District Council that the dog from the September incident had been released back to the owners, with some provisions.
Hauraki District Council, meanwhile, had “acted promptly”, she said, and classified the dog from the Paeroa incident as dangerous – meaning it had to be housed in a secure, fenced-area, desexed, registered, and muzzled when outside of its section.
Hauraki District Council told The Profile animal control staff were at the property within ten minutes of being advised of the incident.
“On arrival, the dog was already secured on the property. The occupants were co-operative and forthcoming with details about the incident,” a spokesperson said. “Due to the strong reactions from the witness, the person caring for the dog at the time focused on returning the dog home promptly, ensuring it was safely contained and contacted the dog owner.”
Council said the owner had complied with all dog ownership requirements, including timely registration, desexing, and microchipping requirements, and had provided a written apology and offered to cover any costs arising from the incident.
It said every report received by the council was fully investigated and assessed against Department of Internal Affairs enforcement guidelines, ensuring any decision was consistent with the Dog Control Act.
“The outcome of any investigation must be based on the facts of what occurred, rather than on what might have happened,” the spokesperson said.
Hauraki Rail Trail chief executive Diane Drummond said dogs were not permitted in farmland areas on the trail, but dogs that were on-leash were able to enjoy what was classed as Public Conservation Land, with most owners being responsible.
She said it was sad to hear of the incident in Paeroa, but wanted to reinforce that such situations involving dogs were very rare along the trail.
“Over the past nine years that I have been in this role, we have received only a handful of reports,” she said.
She recommended anyone who has had an issue on the trail or elsewhere involving dogs to report the incident to the Animal Control Officer in the district that the incident occurred.
“They have the skills and powers to deal with problematic animals,” she said.
DETAILS: Anyone experiencing problems with dogs can report them to Hauraki District Council via the Antenno app or the Fix-it request form on its website, where photos can be uploaded. All complaints can also be phoned through to council directly. If a complaint is urgent, it will be escalated to an Animal Control Officer immediately. Non-urgent complaints received after hours will be addressed the following business day.
BY KELLEY TANTAU
