A dog-owner who encouraged his dog to chew the flying fox has left children at William Burling Park in Lansdowne grounded.
The seat on the playground equipment had to be removed due to damage caused by the dog, said Masterton District Council chief executive Wes ten Hove. The actions of the dog owner and animal had been reported and were referred to animal control officers after being seen encouraging the dog to chew the flying fox seat and swing seat at the play area on Roberts Road. "Our animal control officers have been alerted to the issue and are making regular patrols of the area," he said.
"The perpetrator has been seen in the park several times and local residents are very concerned about the on-going damage and are helping us to try to catch the person responsible."
Mr ten Hove said the council did not replace the damaged seats when the incident was reported at the beginning of March for fear of further damage. "However, we are now at a stage where we need that to happen in order to ensure that the playground is fully functional once again, and an order has been placed with our supplier."
