Editorial: Dogs need our control and respect

Dogs through the ages have always been man's best friend, but sometimes it seems like the two species are at war with each other.

There is always something terrible about a dog attack - no matter who is at fault. Maybe it is the viciousness of it or the damage that is inflicted, but it always has an ugliness about it. It could also be that dogs and people have always been so close that when there is an attack, it just seems so wrong.

In the latest incident, a Dannevirke woman, Katrina Smith, was attacked by a dog on a rural property in the area. Full details of this case have yet to emerge so it is not clear exactly where the fault lies. Ms Smith is adamant that she did not approach the dog, but rather that the dog, which was on a lead, jumped at her and "tried to eat" her. The dog is believed to have been an American pitbull crossed with a sharpei and has been humanely destroyed by its owner.

Lobby groups from both sides of the dog laws debate will be quick to point fingers at each other. Dog lovers will say that it is always a person's fault and never the dog, while people who don't approve of pitbull-type dogs will call for them to be banned.

I think there are lessons for all to learn after a dog attack. People, and children in particular, need to know that dogs need to be treated with respect and not teased or provoked in any way. However, dog owners also have a duty to keep their dogs under control.

I am a dog lover and have had dogs all my life. My family doesn't have a dog at present but we are looking to get one as soon as the family is settled in Hawke's Bay.

Despite loving dogs I have also had some nasty experiences with them. From a young age I was taught never to tease dogs, but I have been in some tricky situations - not of my own making - with dogs.

The most recent was a few years ago when I was walking on a school field with one of my young daughters. Suddenly this vicious dog (I won't mention the breed) came charging at us. I grabbed my daughter and lifted her into my arms. Having been around dogs all my life, I knew that I should not run. I stood my ground while this dog stopped in front of me and started growling. I felt quite powerless because I knew that if I moved the dog would attack. Eventually the owner came out and was quite apologetic and said the back gate to her house had been left open and the dog had wandered on to the school fields. I gave her a piece of my mind and left it at that. A month later the dog got out again and attacked a child at the school. The dog was put down.

If ever there was an attack that did not need to happen, it was that one. If we treat dogs with respect and all owners make sure their dogs are kept under control, then there is no reason why we can't live together peacefully.