A dog that was returned to live with its owner after attacking another dog must be destroyed, a court has ruled.
Despite last-minute pleas by the dog's owner, Judge Philip Crayton told the Whanganui District Court on Tuesday the dog had to be destroyed.
Monty, a pitbull terrier, was swimming in the Whanganui River last year and surfaced to attack another dog as it walked past with its owner.
Monty's owner Denise Mead was too far away to prevent the attack, in which Monty bit and clamped down on the dog, inflicting major injuries.
Whanganui District Council representative Joelle Avery told the court there were no "exceptional circumstances" under the Dog Control Act to save the dog from destruction. "The dog was returned, but just while the prosecution was ongoing."