Deal goes to dogs; ends up in court

How pure-bred Japanese spitz dogs should be registered has made it to the Court of Appeal.

The complicated case began in the Disputes Tribunal over a breeding arrangement where a Japanese spitz bitch was leased to Sue Howard of Auckland, who had a male spitz.

That arrangement went so badly police became involved and supervised a meeting where dogs were exchanged for a signed breeding agreement.

Relying on that agreement, and kennel club rules, the one pup Howard kept was placed on the ‘‘full’’ register as a pedigree able to be shown and bred from.

Howard had the three pups that were returned to the owner of the bitch, put on a kennel club register that did not allow them to be entered in championship or open shows, nor have their offspring fully registered and sold as pedigrees.

Christchurch woman Louise Smith, who launched the appeal, bought one of the pups that had a restricted registration. She has been fighting for full registration for that dog and now its pup.

She also wanted to change the names Howard picked out for the litter she registered. They bore Howard’s kennel name followed by Catch Me If You Can, Do A Runna, and Where The Hell R Ya.

Catch Me If You Can was bought by Smith, who gave it the names Shiroi Yuki.

It was claimed the names Howard picked were offensive for apparently referring to the earlier dispute over the return of the bitch and the pups.

Smith’s lawyer, Graeme Minchin, said yesterday his client wanted the dogs on the register that was originally agreed upon and their names changed.

He said that the kennel club had allowed Howard to breach the contractual arrangements and allowed her to list the dogs on a register that did not permit them to be shown or bred.

The court reserved its decision.