A council in New Zealand has rejected a Staffordshire Bull Terrier owner's attempt to overturn its 'dangerous dog' status after they claimed the pet has "a problem" with bike saddlebags which explains why he attacked two cyclists.
The dog called Max has an "extensive history of aggressive behaviour", the Nelson County local authority hearing heard, and was responsible for three attacks on people riding bicycles last year. A 75-year-old woman was knocked unconscious when the Staffy jumped at her as she cycled past, while a postman was bitten on the finger having already been lunged at and bitten by the dangerous dog on a previous shift as he rode his delivery route.
While the dog's owners admitted feeling "terrible" about the incidents, and said the adopted pet had "obviously been beaten" previously and carried "quite a bit of trauma", New Zealand news website Stuff reports that Ricky and Monique Tasker suggested that "it's the saddlebags that are the problem for Max" and that, the three cyclist attacks aside, he is "one of the most obedient dogs".
The council rejected their argument and upheld the 'dangerous dog' status, which will require the animal to be muzzled in public and subject to stricter restrictions, such as higher registration fees and being unable to be taken anywhere for more than 72 hours without notifying the council.
"The dog has had a record of three attacks in recent periods, and the need to protect the public is paramount," the hearing concluded, the dog's owners claiming the measures were "over the top".
The dog was previously ordered to wear a muzzle in public in May of last year, that coming after the two aforementioned incidents with the postman. On May 18, the New Zealand Post employee was lunged at and bitten twice by the dog as he rode his delivery route.
Just over a week later he was bitten again, this time on the finger as the dog was walked on a leash. The postman used his bike to create a barrier between him and the dog.
However, less than three weeks after being ordered to be muzzled in public, the dog ran at a 75-year-old woman riding a bicycle, jumping at Julie McLintock and knocking her unconscious in the impact as she fell from her bike.
The pensioner was left "very shaken" and unconscious for several minutes. When she came round she began vomiting and was treated by paramedics. The woman reported that it "seemed to take a while" to recover from the concussion and she was left feeling "shaky" from the attack which saw claw marks left on her jacket by the dog that had "leaped up quite high".
A neighbour of the dog's owner had been walking it during this third attack, the man recalling how her head had "hit the ground, bounced up, and then hit the ground again".
Such was the impact, paramedics initially thought her neck may have been broken, the cyclist now very nervous around dogs and concerned that the animal could attack someone else.
The dog's owners claimed the cyclists' saddlebags were a common factor in all three incidents and were "what gets him". Prosecution was considered due to the severity of the third attack, but it was dropped as McLintock did not want to press charges. The panel did however decide to uphold the classification of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier as dangerous.
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