Roaming pitbull not a priority

Not all roaming dogs are equal, argues a Feilding man alarmed by animal control’s 24-hour response time.

When a roaming pitbull wandered on to Mike Barrett’s property, he rushed to get his own beloved dog to safety – and expected similar urgency to be shown by the local authorities. He was left disappointed. Barrett reported the pitbull to Manawatu¯ District Council’s after-hours line, shortly after 5.30pm on February 12, and was told the animal control team had knocked off for the day and wouldn’t respond until 8.30 the following morning.

Barrett, who has owned a pitbull before, said they were unpredictable animals and the most subtle movement, noise or change in surrounding could prompt an attack.

The one that came on his property wasn’t wearing a collar. He called his golden retriever, Heidi, to get it safely inside. The pitbull sniffed about for five minutes before darting off.

The council’s spokesman Paul Stein said its animal control officers were located from Whanganui to Shannon when oncall after hours and weekends. It could be anywhere between 30 and 90 minutes before someone was on site, during which time a dog could have moved on to the other side of town or returned home.

A roaming dog was classed as a second priority and had a 24-hour response time, or was deferred to the following Monday if reported during the weekend. But if called during standard work hours, the council would respond that day.

Any dog attack was treated as a priority and an officer would respond immediately.

Barrett said it only took five minutes for a roaming dog to cause serious injuries to an innocent bystander, especially if it was an aggressive breed.

‘‘They’re really strong dogs ... and there’s young kids in our street. [The council] should respond to certain types of dogs.’’

The Dog Control Act doesn’t classify pitbulls as dangerous, but does label them menacing.

Stein said the council had received several calls in the past where ‘‘dangerous’’ dogs had been misidentified for a tancoloured labrador or staffy cross.

Dogs were clever and excellent escape artists, and Stein urged owners to take their dogs to obedience training to help stop them from leaving home.

Gates should be locked, adequate fencing installed and they should have plenty of room to exercise with sufficient food, water and shelter.