Son’s tough battle to keep father’s dogs
GRAPHIC CONTENT: After the sudden death of his father, Tokoroa teen Kobe Simiona-Wiki vowed to look after his dogs.
Now the 19-year-old is facing a court battle against the South Waikato District Council to save the two American Bulldog crosses from death row.
The dogs, Dread and Natty, attacked a 15-year-old girl after escaping – not for the first time, and with his mother’s puppy – from the family property, which council had recently deemed secure.
The girl was left with a significant bite wound on her arm and lacerations on her abdomen and council says the two dogs need to be put down for public safety.
Simiona-Wiki said he’s devastated by what happened to the girl, but feels his dogs, which he did not know to be aggressive, deserve a second chance.
‘‘Since I inherited my father’s dogs we have tried to take care of them as best we can,’’ he said.
‘‘They had escaped a number of times which [eventually] led to them being impounded so we as a family took responsibility and built a confined area and secured our fencing. Two compliance officers sighted our enclosure and gave their approval.
‘‘[The dogs] escaped through a fence they approved.’’
The attack allegedly involved Dread biting the girl, Natty jumping on her and the puppy barking nearby.
Simiona-Wiki understands the seriousness, he said, but feels council should consider the trauma the dogs went through after losing their owner.
‘‘As a family man myself, my heart is heavy knowing that a young girl has had to experience something as traumatising as this. We have reached out to the wha¯ nau to send our thoughts and prayers,’’ he said.
‘‘[But] take into consideration the trauma that they have already been through: losing their owner, having to adjust to a new environment and now being locked in the pound until proven otherwise.’’
Dread had also been attacked by another dog two weeks prior and hadn’t been himself, Simiona-Wiki said. The other dog wasn’t injured but Dread needed surgery to repair a laceration on his face, staples in his leg, and strong pain relief and antibiotics.
‘‘After the attack he’s been afraid of loud noises, strange people and sudden movements.’’
But the Simiona-Wiki’s two dogs need to be euthanised for public safety, South Waikato District Council communications manager Kerry Fabrie said.
‘‘The documentation to proceed with a prosecution through the court for two of the dogs is being prepared,’’ she said.
‘‘Our animal control and compliance officers have years of experience in working with dog attack victims and their families. Being attacked by a dog, or in this case three dogs at one time, is extremely traumatising.
‘‘Owners of dogs that attack and bite people need to accept responsibility for the severe emotional and physical trauma their dog(s) caused.’’
Fabrie said the victim and her family were supportive of a court prosecution. And though officers had assessed Simiona-Wiki’s property, she said ultimately responsibility for making sure dogs don’t escape falls on owners.
‘‘Dogs can be creative when trying to escape a property. Regardless of how secure a property is deemed, a dog may still escape,’’ she said.
Owners must also take responsibility ‘‘if the worst happens’’.
Simiona-Wiki feels his dogs are being unfairly punished, and said humans get second chances, so the dogs should too. He was open to accepting various conditions if it meant saving his dogs, he said.
‘‘They are our pets who have helped us through the roughest times, from anxiety attacks, to being at the burial of my father and even to my Dad’s existence living through them. The emotional attachment is more than just a man’s best friend,’’ he said.
Since July 2020 there have been 52 dog attacks in the South Waikato and 69 dogs have been euthanised following attacks or being abandoned/unclaimed and deemed not suitable for rehoming.
‘‘We have tried to take care of them as best we can.’’ Kobe Simiona-Wiki