Pitbull owners sentenced to community work

Two men who wanted to mate their pitbull dogs in an attempt which Judge Arjit Singh said went horribly wrong were each sentenced in the Manukau District Court yesterday to 120 hours of community work.

Michael Vaki, aged 22, and Daniel Takimoana, 22, both unemployed, pleaded guilty to an Animal Welfare Act offence at the end of a prosecution case against them.

They had defended a charge of encouraging their dogs to fight but that charge was withdrawn when they pleaded guilty to an alternate charge of failing to handle their dogs in a manner to minimise unnecessary pain or distress.

Judge Singh ordered Vaki to pay reparation of about $620 to the Auckland SPCA at a rate of $10 a week and Takimoana about $565 also at $10 a week.

They were banned from owning any domestic animal for two years.

Judge Singh said the maximum penalty for the offence, a fine of up to $25,000 and/or imprisonment of up to six months, showed its seriousness.

The court heard that police were called to Beaumount Park in Manurewa on October 8 last year. A constable saw the dogs in a fighting posture.

Judge Singh said the defendants said they were attempting to mate their dogs. The attempt went horribly wrong. The process of attempted mating occurred three to four times over at least 15 minutes.

Both dogs suffered multiple puncture wounds.

Judge Singh said he had no doubt the defendants loved their dogs but "to treat them that way is not the kind of thing you do if you earnestly love your dogs".

Their guilty pleas showed they had some contrition.

Judge Singh ordered that the dogs be forfeited to the Auckland SPCA.