No muzzles for menacing dogs
Two dog owners who failed to get a menacing classification for their dogs overturned walked way from a hearing satisfied that they no longer had to muzzle their dogs.
Dog owners, Aloma Williams and Jo Griffin, appealed to the Invercargill City Council to drop a menacing classification it gave to their maltese cross and cocker spaniel cross dogs after they killed a chicken.
Williams and Griffin appeared before a hearing panel in the council chambers yesterday to object to the re-classification of their dogs as menacing.
The dogs were re-classified by an animal control officer after the incident on May 28, when the dogs escaped from the property they were on and attacked a group of chickens on a neighbouring property, killing one hen. As a result of the classification, both dogs had to be muzzled when out in public spaces.
However, the owners said their dogs were far from menacing and did not believe their dogs needed to be muzzled.
Williams said since the attack, Griffin had taken the necessary steps to ensure their dogs were contained on the property and they were always on a leash when out walking.
They were happy to comply with all obligations they were under as owners of menacing dogs but they did not believe their dogs needed to be muzzled, Williams said.
The recommendation from the panel was to uphold the menacing classification but not to require the muzzling of the dogs when off property, but in those instances, they must be on a lead and under control, chair Darren Ludlow said.