Dog cruelty a shock to all

Gail Boyd of the Bay of Islands SPCA, left, and vet Joanna Van Pierce of the Bay of Islands with Tipa, who made a a steady recovery after being dragged behind a vehicle.

You don't need to be an animal lover to be mortified at reports that a vehicle was seen dragging a dog attached to its tow bar.

South African Werner Roos was in Rawene during Waitangi weekend and has told police he was driving on State Highway 12 near Waimamaku just after 12pm on Saturday when he saw a dog being dragged behind a silver SUV.

The vehicle was travelling about 60km/h and the dog's lead was attached to the tow bar.
Mr Roos followed the SUV as it turned into Ambler Rd but the vehicle sped off.

It's a sickening scenario that an animal should never have to endure.

Sadly, it's not the first time this type of thing has been witnessed.

In 2010, a dog was found dead in Whangarei's Lake Ora Rd, after a similar witness account of a dog being dragged behind a utility vehicle.

A $5000 reward was offered for the successful prosecution of the driver, but he or she was never found.

Like the most recent incident, it was not known whether the driver had unwittingly taken off with the dog tethered to the tow bar, or whether the act was deliberate.

In 2005, Joseph Rewha, 52, from Rawhiti, was jailed for nine months after he admitted dragging his dog Tipa behind his car for about 800m at speeds of up to 80km/h.

Rewha was also banned from owning animals for seven years.

There was no question in that instance - it was not an accident.

Tipa - a German Shepherd cross - survived, and was rehomed.

It is unfathomable to most reasonable human beings that anyone would deliberately put a dog through such a distressing scenario.

Hopefully the latest incident was an accident and the animal has survived and, like Tipa, is on its way to recovery.

Accident or not though, the driver needs to be found and held accountable for this cruelty.