I am sure most people are aware of the horrific attack on a 7-year-old girl a few weeks ago which nearly resulted in her death. This occurred in the home of family friends.
Another attack was reported in the Dominion Post of the weekend March 22/23, which I saw while on holiday in Hawke's Bay recently.
This attack involved a 2-year-old pit bull which had been impounded by Napier City Council for unpaid registration fees, not being desexed within the required time, and was not micro-chipped. He was due to be put down on March 10.
His owner could not afford the $532.20 due so she went to Facebook to ask if anyone would pay the fees and make him their own.
In a local newspaper article she described the dog as "an absolute honey who loved being cuddled and playing with her two kids of 4 and 5".
Instead of offering the dog a new home, people donated sufficient money for the owner to pay the fees. As a result the dog went to her sister's home, as she already had a dog at her Housing NZ house and was not allowed another there. While at her sister's he mauled a 7-month-old sharpei to death.
The owner of the sharpei said he was next door when it happened, and by the time he got there it was all over. He said he watched his pup die, but the pit bull still wouldn't let go and was trying to rip his head off. His children witnessed it all, and were hysterical.
These incidents are only two of a number of high-profile attacks that have been reported.
The SPCA originally opposed the importation of pit bulls into New Zealand, but the authorities still allowed it to go ahead, and now Pandora's box is open.
How close was an attack on another child?
YVONNE SMITH
Ahipara
