By BOB KERRIDGE*
He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog.
You are his life, his love, his leader.
He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart.
You owe it to him to be faithful and true.
- Anon.
That worthy little quote reflects why 35 per cent of New Zealand homes have one or more of the 766,000 dogs in the country.
It also reflects our responsibilities to them and, I hasten to add, to the community in which we all live.
Many types of dogs make up the fabric of our canine community. There are big dogs and little dogs, hairy dogs and short-coated dogs, pedigree dogs and those of uncertain parentage (mutts).
We bring them into our homes for a variety of reasons: to be our faithful companions; to protect us; and even to be a fashionable accessory to our lifestyle.
Understandably, with such a variety of dogs and an equal variety of dog-owners, laws are constantly being reviewed, the last being the emergence of the Dog Control Act in 1996.
Curiously, that act provides the mechanism for local authorities to make their own rules and, as local-body politicians will attest, the bulk of their constituents' complaints are dog-related, resulting in a hotchpotch of regulations.
On February 1, the nation was stunned by the news of the horrific dog attack on 7-year-old Carolina Anderson at a family barbecue in a public park the night before. And once again the role and control of dogs in the community comes under scrutiny.
Here are some observations designed to help.
There is no place in the community for dangerous dogs. We do not need them; we do not want them.
Sixteen years ago, the SPCA pleaded with the Government of the day to ban the importation of the lethal pitbull terrier.
We provided four reasons:
* This designer dog was bred specifically to fight and kill.
* As a result it would be sought by dubious owners.
* Eventually innocent children would suffer as a result of a brutal attack.
* Pitbulls would be cross-bred to such an extent that they would become indistinguishable.
Our pleas were rejected. The pitbull was imported, and lamentably all of our predictions have eventuated.
(Those in the know attest to the fact that the dog which attacked Carolina had a dose of pitbull, given the shape of the head, the unprovoked nature of the attack, and the severity of it.)
The pitbull is the only breed of dog that we would define as dangerous and the idea of lumping other breeds such as staffordshire, rottweiler or german shepherds (as has been suggested) into this category to be muzzled in public places is ludicrous.
Only individual dogs are dangerous, and that is generally as a result of the owners. The Dog Control Act has the teeth to administer to dangerous dogs but does not have the support at local government level to enforce it.
Any amendment to the act should include the following:
* It must govern nationwide to provide the consistency necessary in controlling dogs and their owners.
The mechanisms allowing local authorities to make their own rules should be revoked. In Auckland we live with seven sets of rules from seven councils.
* This national governance will provide for consistent registration fees (with a discount for desexed dogs), a standard leash law (all dogs to be on leads in public places), a consistent allowable number of dogs per household and so on.
* Dog control officers should be given more power to act when an individual dog is deemed to be dangerous, or potentially so.
* Owners of dogs should be registered along with their dogs. This form of licensing is the most potent method of educating dog-owners about their responsibilities and what the law expects of them.
We are very aware of the fact that bad dogs reflect bad owners and this form of legislation aims directly at that target. A bad owner will lose his or her licence and the right to own a dog.
* Harsher penalties are needed for owners who break the law and for owners whose dogs inflicts serious injury, with the hope that the courts will enforce such penalties (lamentably with the 1999 Animal Welfare Act they do not).
Finally, we are deeply conscious of the fact that many incidents involving injury to children from dogs are the result of an innocent encounter between an excited and exuberant child running to a dog that feels threatened by such an advance.
While dogs on leads will be attached to owners who can avert such encounters, our plea to parents is still to teach all children not to approach unknown dogs.
We all want to avoid a repeat of the nightmare that engulfed Carolina and her family, but at the same time we also want to be able to continue to experience the companionship of our canine friends in total harmony with our community.
* Bob Kerridge is chief executive of the SPCA, Auckland.
Herald feature: When dogs attack
How you can help
A trust fund has been opened for 7-year-old dog attack victim Carolina Anderson. You can send a cheque to: Carolina Anderson Trust Account, BNZ, PO Box 46-294, Herne Bay, or donate over the internet to BNZ account number 020 248 000 3002-000.
The Herald is backing an appeal to raise money for a $150,000 operating-room microscope for Middlemore's plastic surgery unit. The microscope is essential in minute plastic surgery work such as reattaching nerves. Middlemore has two, used on Carolina Anderson and the victims of the Pipiroa sword attack, but they need replacing. Donations can be sent to: The Microsurgery Appeal, Editorial Department, New Zealand Herald, PO Box 706, Auckland.
