Dog owner ‘on a mission’ after spray incident at beach

A Nelson dog owner is asking for more consideration at the Ta¯ hunanui dog beach after a man sprayed an unidentified aerosol at her dog.

Alannah Sutherland’s dog walker was out with her dog, Kobe, off the leash at the Back Beach on Thursday when the dog was sprayed in the face with a scented aerosol.

Sutherland said the walker, who wanted to remain anonymous, said Kobe was not jumping or barking, just ‘‘in the vicinity’’ of an old man with a small dog when the man sprayed him.

The walker told Sutherland that other dogs were also sprayed or threatened with the aerosol, which she said had a strong smell ‘‘like a toilet spray freshener’’.

Sutherland said her dog, after a trip to the veterinarian and a bath, seemed to be OK, with no lasting effects aside from red and irritated eyes.

‘‘It’s not really about the substance being harmful, it’s about the dog beach being unregulated and people feeling like they have the right to threaten, harm [and] scare other people’s animals.

‘‘I’m definitely now on a mission to make the dog beach safer,’’ she said. ‘‘The beach needs signage and a number to call to immediately report incidents.’’

She said it was ‘‘particularly sad’’ to have happened to Kobe, as he was a rescue dog from the SPCA two years ago who had taken ‘‘heaps of training’’ with a dog psychologist to boost his confidence.

‘‘He often moves away as soon as people make eye contact – there was no need to scare him.’’

She said the aerosol used was a red can. The description matches a product called Pet Corrector, which is designed to be harmless but unpleasant for dogs, to stop unwanted behaviour. Some types of Pet Corrector contain citronella, which is an irritant.

Halifax Veterinary Centre veterinarian Todd Field said it was generally not recommended to spray Pet Corrector directly into a dog’s face, and definitely not recommended to do so to a strange dog.

‘‘Using it on a strange dog, you don’t know how it’s going to react . . . it could potentially be like poking a bear with a stick.’’

Field said the person who sprayed Kobe ‘‘must have had a previous bad experience’’ to feel the need to use the spray, but there were other ways to avoid unwanted interactions with strange dogs.

‘‘Firstly, if you’re really apprehensive about dogs, you should avoid dog areas – then you’re not going to be put in that situation.

‘‘If you don’t want to say ‘Hi’ to that dog, turning your back and walking away is usually sufficient for most dogs . . . and if they get close and you’re really uncomfortable, you can say ‘Go away’ and use a gruff voice.

‘‘The most useful thing is asking the owner to get their dog under control. That should be the most important thing that they can do.’’

He said punishment should ‘‘rarely’’ be used for training. ‘‘Hitting dogs, screaming at them, all that sort of stuff can create much bigger issues.’’

Nelson City Council group manager of environmental management Clare Barton said the council was not able to follow up the issue with either the SPCA or the police without more information.

She said the same rules applied to the Back Beach as to any other area where dogs were allowed off the lead.

‘‘Owners need to ensure that they comply with their obligations under the Dog Control Act. This includes keeping their dogs under control at all times. If dogs are rushing up to people, then it is likely the dog owner is in breach of the rules,’’ she said.

‘‘The most useful thing is asking the owner to get their dog under control.’’ Todd Field, veterinarian