Dog faces day of reckoning
A french bulldog named Pickles isn’t a menace to society says his owner, despite the injuries the dog inflicted on a man holding a pet chihuahua.
The 21⁄2-year-old dog, also known as Sergeant Pickles, attacked at Rawhiti Domain in the Christchurch suburb of New Brighton last November.
Another dog owner, Alick Hutt, was standing in the dog park with his pet chihuahua in his arms when Pickles attacked.
Pickles tore flesh from Hutt’s forearm, bit his stomach and broke his thumb which, four months later, has still not healed.
Hutt described the incident in detail before a hearing of the Christchurch City Council’s Dog Control Act Hearing Panel this week.
‘‘I was in a group talking and just before I got bitten I realised Pickles was looking at the dog. He then bit me in the stomach.
‘‘I moved back and span around to protect my dog. Then he jumped up, attacked my forearm and ripped the meat completely out of that. He got the thumb in the third attack and did not let go.’’
Hutt said Pickles had a reputation among dog owners in the area.
‘‘Pickles makes that noise and you’ve just got to be ready.’’
The city’s senior animal management officer, Bill Kohi, reported that Pickles had tried to attack another dog in Rawhiti Domain earlier in the year.
Owner Sammuel Kent is contending that Pickles shouldn’t be classified as ‘‘menacing’’.
In an email to the council, Kent said the dog had been trying to attack the chihuahua and not Hutt.
But the panel told him this did not matter, as Hutt had indeed been attacked.
Kent and his grandfather, who had been helping to look after Pickles at the time, said they had been the subject of ‘‘hate posts’’ on social media.
He had offered to pay Hutt’s medical bills and had tried to offer assistance at the time.
Kent argued that Pickles had a good nature.
‘‘He plays with children, people have had their kids over, even babies. I’ve never seen him act out with other dogs.’’
But Kohi said he had often heard this argument after dog attacks, and warned Kent not to let Pickles near children because of his unpredictable behaviour.
Under council regulations a dog classed as menacing must be muzzled and neutered. Kent told the panel he had bought a muzzle and was taking Pickles to dog training but had missed the first two lessons because of a back injury.
The panel is expected to rule in the next two to three weeks.