KEY POINTS:
A dogue de bordeaux dog is in hiding in rural Southland after Invercargill City Council moves to upgrade his status from menacing to dangerous.
Brutus Napoleon's owner, William Butterfield, argued at a council meeting yesterday that the council had not given him a fair go, and than Brutus was never proven to be responsible for numerous attacks, the Southland Times reported.
However, dog ranger Erik Oostendorp said Brutus was one of the most aggressive dogs he had dealt in his 20-odd years' working with animals.
Brutus was classified menacing in July 2006 and impounded last May after a 13-year-old boy was attacked outside a Bay Road, Invercargill, property by a dog he said looked like Brutus.
His aggressive nature towards people never wavered in the six months he spent in the pound, Mr Oostendorp said.
When Brutus was returned home, he was aggressive in the van, lunging at the glass so forcibly that Mr Oostendorp heard the sound of his teeth against the glass.
Mr Butterfield had moved Brutus to an undisclosed rural Southland property, meaning he was outside the council's jurisdiction.
The council's decision is expected to be released later this week.
- NZPA
