Dog owner prosecuted by council
AUCKLAND CITY COUNCIL MEDIA RELEASE
16 March 2006
Dog owner prosecuted by council
A Mt Wellington dog owner was successfully prosecuted by Auckland City Council for owning a dog that caused serious injury to a seven-year-old girl last year.
Yesterday in the Auckland District Court, Ricky Nikora was convicted and ordered to pay $1000 in reparation for emotional harm to the girl caused by an attack from his Staffordshire Bull Terrier.
The terrier attacked seven-year-old Tyler Hemingway, from Hamilton, on 5 October 2006 when she was visiting Mr Nikora's property with her father. Her foot was severely damaged and has required ongoing medical attention.
Auckland City Council service requests manager, Jackie Wilkinson says the dog has since been euthanised and the council is pleased with yesterday's result.
"I hope this sentence sends a strong message to all dog owners that if you own a dog, you need to be aware of the damage it can inflict and you must take the necessary measures to properly socialise them.
"We are grateful for Mr Nikora's cooperation with officers. He gave consent for his dog to be impounded and subsequently euthanised and has expressed remorse over the injuries Tyler received." Ms Wilkinson says.
Mr Nikora was not at home when the attack occurred and has told the council that he always put the dog away when visitors arrived.
"Although this was obviously done with the best intentions, it would have been better to socialise the dog to interact safely with visitors. By removing the dog every time, the dog was encouraged to act as a guard dog, so it treated all visitors as a potential threat to the family.
"It is better to remove the dog initially and then allow the dog and child to be introduced in a controlled environment," Ms Wilkinson says.
The terrier was registered with Auckland City Council and records show no previous history of aggression.
Ms Wilkinson says the safety of children around dogs is an ongoing concern and there is a joint responsibility between the dog owner and parents.
"A dog could be frightened by a child's sudden movements or may have had an unpleasant experience with another child in the past so both parents and dog owners have a responsibility to be vigilant at all times."
For more information about Auckland City Council's dog control policies visit www.aucklandcity.govt.nz/dogs or phone 09 379 2020.
ENDS