Owner seeks release of dog involved in maulings

The applicant, Kayla Bremner, wants her dog released before Christmas. Image / Getty Images

The release of a dog involved in two separate maulings at Whirinaki rests with Hastings District Council's hearings committee.

The applicant, Kayla Bremner, wants her dog released before Christmas - a decision which will be made by the committee in a few days.

Neither the owner of the dog nor the two women who were attacked appeared at the hearing. All parties supplied written statements which were read into the evidence by Mick Lester, Hastings district councillor.

Two of the three dogs involved in the attacks had been relinquished by their owners and since destroyed. Ms Bremner, who pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in relation to the incident, had not relinquished her dog and its fate will be decided in the courts.

During the hearing committee chairman Mr Lester read out a application made by Ms Bremner through her Auckland-based barrister, Baden Meyer. In it he appealed for the release of the dog - a Rhodesian ridgeback called Rascal.

"My client has tremendous sympathy for the victims in this matter and her application for the release of Rascal does not reduce those feelings," Mr Meyer said. "The council is urged to address this application for release."

However, both victims in their impact statements disputed Ms Bremner's sympathy toward them. In statements read out by Mr Lester, both women questioned whether the owner had any consideration toward them throughout the process. "We have never received any letter of remorse or apology and the owner has persisted in maintaining her dog's innocence when she has no proof of the lack of involvement of her animal, as she was not present [at] either of the attacks," the first victim wrote.

She also noted that Whirinaki Rd was full of young families. "I also wonder if the owner considers what they would do if it was a child involved," the victim said. "It appears that the owner has more consideration for the dog than for the people that it has been involved in menacing."

The second victim, who, after been released from Hutt Hospital, has been undergoing counselling, wrote that she has suffered pain and discomfort, a loss of earnings, sleepless nights and lost the ability to walk freely around her neighbourhood. "At no time, it appears to me, has she shown any remorse or consideration for anyone but herself," Mr Lester read out to the hearing. "I would have had much more respect for this person had they released this dog to be executed."

The reason for the hearing was that Animal Management manager John Payne did not feel comfortable making a decision to release the dog. " "To have a dog behave in this manner it doesn't necessarily have to show aggression," he said. "Some dogs have what they call a high prey drive - their instincts to stalk and to chase are a lot higher."

Mr Payne also addressed the issue of the lack of fencing at the property the dogs escaped from. "The methods that were used to keep the dogs restrained on the property in my opinion were irresponsible. Propping up a bedframe and using a wheelie bin to close off an entrance wasn't a very good attempt at keeping the dogs restrained," he said.