Dame Aussie Posted August 20, 2012 Share Posted August 20, 2012 Excellent outcome, home where he belongs :) http://www.theage.com.au/environment/animals/the-battle-for-butch-council-blows-100k-on-pitbull-dog-fight-20120821-24j97.html "Ballarat City Council has spent more than $100,000 in a drawn-out legal battle over the custody of a pet dog. Butch, the pit bull terrier, was finally returned to his owners on the weekend, more than 10 months after he was seized by council officers. We are very happy to have Butch home...Thank you to the public who have looked out for us during the long 10 months and 24 days. In an out-of-court settlement late last week, David and Megan Thurston, from the suburb of Canadian, won the right to keep their beloved red nose American pit bull terrier. They had not seen their dog for 305 days, as it was detained at an RSPCA shelter in Mornington. He returned home on Saturday, with strict guidelines imposed on his owners. In a brief statement, Mrs Thurston said the couple were overwhelmed by the support they received from the public. “We are very happy to have Butch home and want to thank all our family and friends for their support,” she said. “Thank you to the public who have looked out for us during the long 10 months and 24 days.” City of Ballarat mayor Mark Harris said it was unfortunate that the process had taken so long, but said the council did not have any other options. He said the council had the responsibility of upholding a state government law and that council officers acted appropriately in originally seizing the dog. Butch was seized in October last year, just hours after it became statewide law for restricted breed dogs to be registered with councils. He was unregistered at the time. “They (officers) did exactly what they should have done in acting out the letter of the law. If we had the time again, we would do it exactly the same,” Cr Harris said. “We couldn’t pursue it in any other way. People wouldn’t have wanted authorities like us to have too much leeway if we are in charge of prosecuting state government law.” Details of the VCAT hearing and subsequent out-of-court settlement remain confidential, but the council’s chief executive officer Anthony Schinck confirmed that the 10-month process had cost council “in excess of $100,000”. He said if the out-of-court settlement had not been reached, the case would most likely had gone as far as the Supreme Court. “From both party’s point of view, there was an enormous amount of work that went into this. In terms of being able to get to a resolution, it was something that council was not able to do of its own accord,” he said. “It’s the law, we had no other option but to adhere to the law, and part of council’s many responsibilities is that we are the caretaker of a lot of different legislation.” Pit Bull Association president Colin Muir said it was a great result and thanked the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel for their assistance." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robbi Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Lets hope more dogs are released back to their families. So happy Butch is home :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k9angel Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Yay! great news. I bet that was one happy reunion. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Why didn't they just register Butch before the deadline? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dame Aussie Posted August 21, 2012 Author Share Posted August 21, 2012 Why didn't they just register Butch before the deadline? Who knows. It would have saved a lot of money and heartache! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dezzyno.1 Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 so glad there is a great outcome and Butch is home with his family.....there are too many dogs being PTS due to VCAT making stupid decisions and not listening to the real experts in dog identification....too many beautiful family dogs not being able to go back home Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I was so happy to read this this morning and simultaneously disgusted that $100,000 or ratepayers money was spent in this! YAY Butch!! Why didn't they just register Butch before the deadline? If my memory serves me correctly Butch's owners tried to register him as a restricted breed (and were willing to comply with all the keeping requirements) the day before the amnesty ended. They didn't realize the cost to register a RB is so much higher and didn't bring enough money with them. They were prepared to go home and get more but were told not to worry about it -just come back tomorrow. They turned up first thing the next morning and were told the amnesty had ended and they were not allowed to register him. The officers immediately went and seized him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvawilow Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I was so happy to read this this morning and simultaneously disgusted that $100,000 or ratepayers money was spent in this! YAY Butch!! Why didn't they just register Butch before the deadline? If my memory serves me correctly Butch's owners tried to register him as a restricted breed (and were willing to comply with all the keeping requirements) the day before the amnesty ended. They didn't realize the cost to register a RB is so much higher and didn't bring enough money with them. They were prepared to go home and get more but were told not to worry about it -just come back tomorrow. They turned up first thing the next morning and were told the amnesty had ended and they were not allowed to register him. The officers immediately went and seized him. Butch doesn't appear to be a young puppy - why didn't his owners register him as a RB ages ago??? Would have saved ratepayers a stack of money and avoided the distress they caused to their own dog. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I was so happy to read this this morning and simultaneously disgusted that $100,000 or ratepayers money was spent in this! YAY Butch!! Why didn't they just register Butch before the deadline? If my memory serves me correctly Butch's owners tried to register him as a restricted breed (and were willing to comply with all the keeping requirements) the day before the amnesty ended. They didn't realize the cost to register a RB is so much higher and didn't bring enough money with them. They were prepared to go home and get more but were told not to worry about it -just come back tomorrow. They turned up first thing the next morning and were told the amnesty had ended and they were not allowed to register him. The officers immediately went and seized him. Butch doesn't appear to be a young puppy - why didn't his owners register him as a RB ages ago??? Would have saved ratepayers a stack of money and avoided the distress they caused to their own dog. Maybe because they didn't want their harmless dog who had done nothing wrong being forced to live in a cage and be muzzled and leashed at all times in public? A lot of people feel that would be very detrimental for their dog and it's socialisation with the world and could possibly create issues where previously there were none. Love the victim-blaming mentality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silvawilow Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Love the victim-blaming mentality. I'm not blaming the victim, Butch - I'm blaming the owners Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 (edited) Love the victim-blaming mentality. I'm not blaming the victim, Butch - I'm blaming the owners Agreed. Part of responsible dog ownership is obeying the laws- this includes coughing up the yearly registration fees and complying with whatever laws relate to your breed/type. People like this, in my opinion, do the cause absolutely no good. Not only was the dog seized because of their failure to register, it cost tax payers a huge amount of money to resolve. Edited for typo Edited August 21, 2012 by Hardy's Angel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Who's to say Butch hadn't been registered previously as a non restricted breed and it had only just lapsed? Can't say for sure if that's the case or not. They tried to do the right thing and register before the amnesty ended but were given false information by the Council. And if he wasn't registered all along, maybe they felt that was the best thing for their dog rather than keeping him unsocialised and secluded away from the world. Obviously when the alternative became death they decided that registering as a restricted breed was the best thing for their dog and tried to do so. I can't blame them for wanting their dog to live the life of a normal dog and enjoying all that that entails. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mita Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Pit Bull Association president Colin Muir said it was a great result and thanked the Barristers Animal Welfare Panel for their assistance." Welcome home, Butch, where you belong. I hope you gave some big 'Thank You' licks to the wonderful members of that legal panel. So glad you found these friends and lots more when you needed them most. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Who's to say Butch hadn't been registered previously as a non restricted breed and it had only just lapsed? Can't say for sure if that's the case or not. They tried to do the right thing and register before the amnesty ended but were given false information by the Council. And if he wasn't registered all along, maybe they felt that was the best thing for their dog rather than keeping him unsocialised and secluded away from the world. Obviously when the alternative became death they decided that registering as a restricted breed was the best thing for their dog and tried to do so. I can't blame them for wanting their dog to live the life of a normal dog and enjoying all that that entails. By breaking the law? I'd love to be able to walk my dogs without muzzles (or even let them offlead in a fenced area) but responsible ownership is obeying laws, whether you feel like obeying them or not. Simple as that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 The requirements for a restricted breed is much more than just muzzles. They essentially cut the dog off from all socialisation with people and other animals and have the dog living in a cage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
megan_ Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 The requirements for a restricted breed is much more than just muzzles. They essentially cut the dog off from all socialisation with people and other animals and have the dog living in a cage. While I understand your sentiment, this summary of life as a restricted breed isn't true. The dog is allowed to play in it's yard if you're there. They don't need to live in a cage and can stay locked in their house when their owner is out, providing that it meets security restrictions (ie you can't leave a window opening that the dog can fit through). RB dogs can go to training, can meet other dogs and people etc, they just need to do it with a muzzle and special leash. It's not the life I'd want for my dog, but it isn't condemning a dog to a life of misery either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 The requirements for a restricted breed is much more than just muzzles. They essentially cut the dog off from all socialisation with people and other animals and have the dog living in a cage. While I understand your sentiment, this summary of life as a restricted breed isn't true. The dog is allowed to play in it's yard if you're there. They don't need to live in a cage and can stay locked in their house when their owner is out, providing that it meets security restrictions (ie you can't leave a window opening that the dog can fit through). RB dogs can go to training, can meet other dogs and people etc, they just need to do it with a muzzle and special leash. It's not the life I'd want for my dog, but it isn't condemning a dog to a life of misery either. In NSW a restricted breed can do none of those things. They must be kept in an enclosure that costs thousands to build with a concrete floor, walls and a roof, and they cannot be outside of that cage without a muzzle or leash, so they cant even roam freely without a muzzle in their own house. I'm not fully up to date with the ins and outs of the provisions in VIC, sounds like they're less stringent which is good at least. I would think the other worry for people registering their dogs as restricted breeds is the anticipation of the day they may be outlawed completely and your dog is like a sitting duck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maddy Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 The requirements for a restricted breed is much more than just muzzles. They essentially cut the dog off from all socialisation with people and other animals and have the dog living in a cage. While I understand your sentiment, this summary of life as a restricted breed isn't true. The dog is allowed to play in it's yard if you're there. They don't need to live in a cage and can stay locked in their house when their owner is out, providing that it meets security restrictions (ie you can't leave a window opening that the dog can fit through). RB dogs can go to training, can meet other dogs and people etc, they just need to do it with a muzzle and special leash. It's not the life I'd want for my dog, but it isn't condemning a dog to a life of misery either. In NSW a restricted breed can do none of those things. They must be kept in an enclosure that costs thousands to build with a concrete floor, walls and a roof, and they cannot be outside of that cage without a muzzle or leash, so they cant even roam freely without a muzzle in their own house. I'm not fully up to date with the ins and outs of the provisions in VIC, sounds like they're less stringent which is good at least. I would think the other worry for people registering their dogs as restricted breeds is the anticipation of the day they may be outlawed completely and your dog is like a sitting duck. Don't come complaining to the rest of us when that does happen If you're going to be supportive of breaking the law, you can't be surprised when governments bring in tougher laws to fix the problem of lack of compliance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 The requirements for a restricted breed is much more than just muzzles. They essentially cut the dog off from all socialisation with people and other animals and have the dog living in a cage. While I understand your sentiment, this summary of life as a restricted breed isn't true. The dog is allowed to play in it's yard if you're there. They don't need to live in a cage and can stay locked in their house when their owner is out, providing that it meets security restrictions (ie you can't leave a window opening that the dog can fit through). RB dogs can go to training, can meet other dogs and people etc, they just need to do it with a muzzle and special leash. It's not the life I'd want for my dog, but it isn't condemning a dog to a life of misery either. In NSW a restricted breed can do none of those things. They must be kept in an enclosure that costs thousands to build with a concrete floor, walls and a roof, and they cannot be outside of that cage without a muzzle or leash, so they cant even roam freely without a muzzle in their own house. I'm not fully up to date with the ins and outs of the provisions in VIC, sounds like they're less stringent which is good at least. I would think the other worry for people registering their dogs as restricted breeds is the anticipation of the day they may be outlawed completely and your dog is like a sitting duck. Don't come complaining to the rest of us when that does happen If you're going to be supportive of breaking the law, you can't be surprised when governments bring in tougher laws to fix the problem of lack of compliance. I'm not saying I necessarily condone it but I completely understand it, and I think think you and others may behave differently if your own dogs were at risk. I also find excusing the government and the restrictions quite disturbing. There is masses of evidence that these laws don't work. There is no excuse for them to exist, whether it's to fix 'non compliance' or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bslsux Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 I was so happy to read this this morning and simultaneously disgusted that $100,000 or ratepayers money was spent in this! YAY Butch!! Why didn't they just register Butch before the deadline? If my memory serves me correctly Butch's owners tried to register him as a restricted breed (and were willing to comply with all the keeping requirements) the day before the amnesty ended. They didn't realize the cost to register a RB is so much higher and didn't bring enough money with them. They were prepared to go home and get more but were told not to worry about it -just come back tomorrow. They turned up first thing the next morning and were told the amnesty had ended and they were not allowed to register him. The officers immediately went and seized him. Butch doesn't appear to be a young puppy - why didn't his owners register him as a RB ages ago??? Would have saved ratepayers a stack of money and avoided the distress they caused to their own dog. What and give the Council and Government money to kill dogs! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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