Gisborne woman Tanya Hawthorne and her horse Cassie endured a dog attack while riding with a friend along the beach last year. Hawthorne has welcomed the Government's plan for "a comprehensive review" of the Dog Control Act.
Gisborne woman Tanya Hawthorne and her horse Cassie endured a dog attack while riding with a friend along the beach last year. Hawthorne has welcomed the Government's plan for "a comprehensive review" of the Dog Control Act.
A horse rider who endured “a horrendous” ordeal when chased by a dog at a Gisborne beach last year has backed the Government’s plans to overhaul the Dog Control Act.
Tanya Hawthorne and a friend were riding their horses on the beach along Centennial Marine Drive near the old landfillin November when a dog launched itself at them – biting the horse of her friend, who fell off, and chasing Hawthorne and her horse for 1.5km.
The dog, whose owner was with it, was not tracked down after the attack was reported to the Gisborne District Council.
The Government recently announced “a comprehensive review” of the Dog Control Act after what it described as “a number of horrific attacks”, including the death of 4-year-old Katikati boy Timothy Rolleston, who was attacked by three dogs at a Tuapiro property in Western Bay of Plenty last March.
Government ministers said the review would include looking at current clauses which may impose barriers or resource pressure on councils, as well as penalties and consequences for non-compliant dog owners, desexing obligations and stronger powers for council officers.
“I’m so pleased it is being talked about and the Government are trying to do something,” she said.
“I’m reading stories daily in the news about horrific dog attacks on people and animals. Dogs like this need to be destroyed and the owners prosecuted.”
Giving councils greater powers when it comes to responding to dog attacks will be part of a government review of current dog control regulations. Photo / NZME
Hawthorne said she knew of another attack on a horse rider at a beach.
“I’m not sure if attacks are increasing or if they are being reported more, but it’s really frightening. A week after my attack, a friend was also attacked on our beach by a different dog while riding her horse. She’s very traumatised by it.”
Hawthorne encouraged anyone who had experienced a dog attack to speak out and report the matter.
LGNZ president and Gisborne Mayor Rehette Stoltz said no one should have to feel unsafe in their own neighbourhoods, and dog control rules as they currently stood were not sufficient.
In a recent meeting, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and LGNZ discussed how the risk of dog attacks could be reduced, she said.
“Following the meeting with the Prime Minister, we spoke with frontline dog control staff from a sample of councils, who set out the challenges they faced and suggested solutions to reduce the risk of further attacks.
“These insights were shared with the Prime Minister and the Local Government Minister, Simon Watts, to support the Government’s work.”
Councils shared that overhauling the Dog Control Act would have the greatest impact and that they required stronger, proactive powers.
This included being able to intervene earlier when aggressive dogs posed a risk to public safety, strengthening powers through bylaws to require fencing and desexing where required as preventive measures, and changes that enabled better information-sharing between key agencies.
“One council we spoke to was preparing to prosecute the owners of two dogs, but couldn’t legally hold the animals in the meantime,” Stoltz said.
“One of those dogs then went on to attack someone. Changes need to prevent instances like this happening again.”
