Dog owners should pay higher price for attacks

new-zealand-national-party

Thu Jan 16 2003 13:00:00 GMT+1300 (New Zealand Daylight Time)

Dog owners should pay higher price for attacks

Thursday, 16 January 2003, 1:57 pm
Press Release: New Zealand National Party

There’s a new call today for the Government to toughen up the penalties against the owners of dogs that go on to attack people.

“The fact that two children have been viciously attacked in South Auckland within a week highlights a situation that can very often be prevented,” says Port Waikato MP Dr Paul Hutchison.

“It’s a parents worst nightmare,” says the father of three young children.

“In the South Auckland case where a Rotweiller dog mauled a six year old, the dog could be destroyed and the owner fined $1500 or jailed for three months.

“The dog was not registered which means the owner could be fined a further $1200,” says Dr Hutchison.

“The law as it stands is simply not credible and doesn’t reflect the seriousness of the act.

“In my view the penalties should be quadrupled to become an effective deterrent,” says Dr Hutchison.

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