Town no place for pet dogs
A partially deaf Waikato man is calling for a ban on pet dogs in town centres after two unprovoked attacks on his assistance dog within months.
Roger Drower’s hearing dog Harper has been left shaken and too scared to return to the scene of the latest attack in Tokoroa’s main street.
Despite a South Waikato District Council ban on pet dogs entering the town’s central business district (CBD), between 8am and 6pm, and the potential of a $300 fine, Drower said this year alone he’s noted 18 breaches.
‘‘I was down Leith Pl talking to a person who wanted to know a bit more about disability dogs and next minute this lady walks past with her large dog.
‘‘I didn’t even see it coming, it was that quick and fast. It bounced up on my back trying to get to Harper.
‘‘It was only because the person I was talking to said ‘‘oh s***’’ that I could react and push myself between the dog and Harper to protect him,’’ he said.
Drower said disability dog owners were constantly facing such scenarios.
‘‘A mate of mine who has a disability dog because he is blind has been attacked and run over by another dog in Auckland’s CBD, so it’s not just happening here.
‘‘Bringing pet dogs into CBDs is a no. The safety of disability dogs has to be number one,’’ he said.
He said disability dogs were a lifeline for their owners who would otherwise face isolation.
‘‘Without Harper life would be a lot more difficult for me because I miss out on so much.
‘‘If there is a car backing over a curb for example he is the one who alerts me and will pull me away but after this he’s getting distracted.’’
Drower urged people to think about the consequences of bringing their dogs into towns.
‘‘It doesn’t matter which town you are in. Go to the information centre and find out where exercise areas are for pet dogs as CBDs are definitely out.
‘‘One day we are going to get bitten by a dog and that is one thing I do not want.’’
South Waikato District Council dog control and compliance manager Kerry Beckett said her team receives complaints about dogs being in Tokoroa’s CBD once or twice a week.
She said the council’s bylaw,which allows dogs in nearby Putaruru and Tı¯rau if they are on a leash, was however working well.