Pitbull owner denies pet savaged sister

Phillipa Bayley with a picture of her pitbull, Mojo, which is in danger of being put down. Photo / Alan Gibson

A Tauranga woman accused of seriously assaulting her sister will fight charges against her and also claims her young pitbull dog did not take part in the vicious scrap.

But Phillipa Bayley's claim has been rejected by sister Liz Smith, who is recovering from injuries received in the attack and wants the dog destroyed immediately.

Ms Smith, 52, has vowed never to speak to her elder sister again after the fight at Ms Bayley's Welcome Bay home on May 21 left her with tears to her scalp, ears, nose and lips.

Ms Bayley, 54, who is facing a charge of wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, also has no interest in seeing her sibling, saying she feels "disgusted" with her.

Her 4-month-old pitbull, Mojo, has been impounded and may be put down.

"It's just broken my heart because I believe that what's happened to that dog is just going to destroy ... his personality and, really, the best choice I have is to give them permission to put him down," Ms Bayley told the Herald at her home yesterday.

"I'm going to have to get my head around the fact that I haven't got any control over it."

A few days after the fight, Ms Bayley received a letter from Tauranga City Council saying her dog had been impounded and she had one week to collect it. But on June 3, she received another letter saying the dog would be kept at the pound as the council believed it posed a safety threat.

Ms Bayley also said publicity about the incident had tarnished her prospects as an artist and left her too humiliated to leave her house.

She said that on the morning she was arrested and held in custody, she was supposed to have been painting portraits and caricatures at the shopping centre.

The sisters have conflicting stories over how their fight started and what took place during it, but Ms Smith said there was evidence the dog had joined in.

She said her face did not feel the same and she was still recovering psychologically.

"That's a dark empty space, the emotional side of it. It's hard to close my eyes at night and not feel dizzy."

Ms Smith described her relationship with her sister as "strange", saying they both grew up very differently.

Asked if she expected to see her again, she said: "That's not going to happen."

She said it was "terrible" the dog was still alive.

Brent Lincoln of Tauranga City Council animal services said a charge under the Dog Control Act was highly likely and the court would decide the animal's fate.

Ms Bayley is due to reappear in Tauranga District Court next month.