Yet another vicious attack

[BarbedWire]

I am so over this. This dog could move into your neighbourhood and you wouldn't know.

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-09-26/council-dog-attack-victim-call-for-law-change/10306412

 

Dog that mangled woman's arm gets reprieve, prompting Palmerston council to review bylaws

ABC Radio Darwin

Posted 36 minutes ago

PHOTO: Following multiple surgeries, Diana Thompson still can't dress herself. (ABC News: Jesse Thompson)

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The victim of a vicious dog attack and her local council have been left powerless to prevent the animal attacking again after a court dismissed a bid to have it destroyed.

Diana Thompson was walking her dog in March when a stranger's unfenced dog dragged her to the ground and shook her arm "like a piece of meat".

"My whole arm was just sort of shattered, the bone was shattered, the skin was shattered and torn," she said.

Following multiple rounds of surgery that cost thousands of dollars, Ms Thompson is still undertaking physiotherapy and can't dress herself; she only recently got behind the wheel again.

PHOTO: Diana Thompson attached this photo to the submission, showing her injuries. (Supplied: Diana Thompson and Paul Sedman)

 

The animal's owner was fined for the attack and for having a dog at large — two fines totalling $350.

Ms Thompson said that was inadequate.

"I know it's not easy to change a law, but surely we could bring something in in the meantime; we could make fines a little more expensive — a couple of hundred dollars is nothing," she said.

"If there's hospitalisation, if there's serious surgery, if there's permanent injury, can't we, as thinking people, take that dog away?"

In a submission to the Animal Welfare Bill review, Ms Thompson and her husband said they were dumbfounded as to how the council could not act to prevent repeat attacks.

But speaking with ABC Radio Darwin's Adam Steer, City of Palmerston CEO Lucio Cercarelli agreed, saying the case showed current animal management bylaws needed to be reviewed.

"We took the matter to the court to seek a destruction, and the court found that in this particular case the dog would not be destroyed," he said.

"They believe it displayed good behavioural characteristics, that even though they can't guarantee it, it was unlikely that a similar event would occur."

Ms Thompson was incredulous.

"Are you going to say to it, 'Never do this again, naughty boy?'"

Short of fronting the courts, issuing on-the-spot fines and impounding the animal was about as much as council could currently do, Mr Cercarelli said.

The dog has been deregistered and no longer lives in the Territory, but Mr Cercarelli was concerned that laws as they currently stood could simply allow problem animals to move to other municipalities.

Unlike some other states, he said, the Northern Territory didn't have uniform legislation when it came to animal management bylaws.

"We're calling on the Local Government Association of the Northern Territory, to lobby the NT Government to introduce uniform animal management legislation ... which will assist in dealing with matters such as this."