A Napier man whose dog bit a 14-year-old boy in April has successfully appealed against a two-year probationary term imposed by the Napier City Council.
The partially blind golden retriever was in the driveway of a Napier house when it attacked the teenager, who required hospital treatment and several stitches.
The council prosecuted the dog's owner, Stuart Davey, who pleaded guilty to the offence in the Napier District Court in June.
The court required Mr Davey to keep the dog muzzled when it was off his property and to pay $243 in costs.
The council also stripped him of his licensed owner status and classified him as a probationary owner.
Mr Davey told a council hearing yesterday that his dog, which had only 30 per cent sight, had escaped through a gate carelessly left open.
The boy found the frightened dog in a nearby driveway and tried to lead him home by the collar.
The dog bit the boy out of fear and was not naturally aggressive.
"This wasn't a case of a vicious dog roaming the streets looking for trouble. It was a frightened family pet in a situation beyond its control."
Mr Davey said he had been a dog-owner for 20 years and none of his pets had bitten anyone before.
Since the incident, he had improved the security of his front gates and was planning further modifications.
Hearing committee chairman Brian Williams said the council had decided to revoke the probationary classification because the biting was an isolated offence.
- NZPA
Napier dog owner wins probation appeal
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