Family overjoyed dog coming home
After a stressful and nerve-racking few months, one Greytown family will get their cherished guard dog back.
The dog had been in the pound since March after an attack last year left a 12-year-old boy requiring surgery to his face.
The pet’s life was spared at Masterton District Court yesterday morning as Judge Barbara Morris said the circumstances of the January attack were exceptional.
She chose to reject a call to destroy the animal.
On the day of the attack, everyone at the house had been warned not to pat the dog, named Archie, on the head due to it having an eye injury.
Archie was nursing the eye injury and was startled when the boy went to pat him on the head near that wound. The dog leapt up and bit the boy on his face and arm, with the facial injuries requiring surgery.
The dog would have been hyper-vigilant and in a stressed state already because of the injury, Judge Morris said.
Archie used to patrol Frank van Steensel’s rural Greytown property and had been known to be aggressive in defending the property.
It had once bitten a neighbour who had climbed the fence and had also bitten a family member who fell on the dog as a puppy.
Despite this history, a dog expert brought in by the defence said the canine did not have an inherently aggressive nature.
The dog’s family were on tenterhooks as the judge explained her decision, sitting nervously as she finally announced that the animal was not to be destroyed.
Owners van Steensel and Josje Neerincx were overjoyed at the verdict, regardless of the conviction for carelessness and a $430 fine.
They credited lawyer JP Delamere with making a big difference to the case and were very thankful for his input.
Delamere said he had initially seen Van Steensel defending himself and offered to help out as the case was not eligible for legal aid.
He was appointed by the judge in amicus to assist the court.
‘‘I’m just happy the dog didn’t get put down,’’ Delamere said.
The van Steensels have agreed to keep the dog tied up and since the incident had also built a kennel and run.
The family of the victim reconciled with van Steensel shortly after the incident and were not the ones pursuing the prosecution.
The would be more wary with visitors in future.