Dog owners fail in bid to keep pets

Belinda Vearer and Kayla Bremner at the Hastings District Council to appeal a council decision which prevented them from owning dogs for five and two years respectively.

Hastings District Council has upheld a decision to ban the owners of the animals involved in two attacks last year from owning dogs.

The ruling comes after three dogs attacked two women on Whirinaki Beach last October, putting both women in hospital.

Yesterday mother and daughter Belinda Vearer and Kayla Bremner made an emotional plea to the council's hearings committee to overturn a council decision which prevented them from owning dogs for five and two years respectively.

In his decision as committee chairman Councillor Mick Lester declined applications from both women.

He said the committee considered that the serious nature of the event leading up to the conviction following the attack justified the five and two year ban.

In November last year, the owners of the three dogs pleaded guilty in Napier District Court to two charges each of owning a dog that attacked a person causing serious injury.

Ms Vearer was found guilty of owning a dog responsible for causing injury and sentenced to 150 hours of community work.

Ms Bremner was convicted of owning a dog that rushes to a person causing injury and fined $1500.