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Pamela Howard: Council's plans to muzzle dogs at home a breach of rights
A move by Christchurch City Council to order owners of 'menacing' dogs to muzzle them inside their own homes could be a breach of rights.
A spate of dog attacks prompted the council's animal management unit to send letters to 159 dog owners warning of the new rules.
Dogwatch Sanctuary Trust manager Pamela Howard told Mike Hosking the council should have done its research because dogs can be classed as menacing for killing a chicken or cat.
"When they're in their own home, and they're no threat to anyone else, no children or other dogs or whatever, they have to have a muzzle."
Howard says not only is the move total overkill, it's unenforceable under the Dog Control Act and is also unlikely to be legal under the Animal Welfare Act.
"A dog must be able to display natural behaviour. So if you've got to muzzle your dog inside your home, it cannot like itself, [and] it cannot chew.
"If they enforce this, or try and enforce it, they have to have a police officer with them because they cannot just walk into your home and say, 'Let's just see if your dog is being muzzled'."
LISTEN ABOVE AS PAMELA HOWARD SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING
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By Newstalk ZBA move by Christchurch City Council to order owners of 'menacing' dogs to muzzle them inside their own homes could be a breach of rights.
A spate of dog attacks prompted the council's animal management unit to send letters to 159 dog owners warning of the new rules.
Dogwatch Sanctuary Trust manager Pamela Howard told Mike Hosking the council should have done its research because dogs can be classed as menacing for killing a chicken or cat.
"When they're in their own home, and they're no threat to anyone else, no children or other dogs or whatever, they have to have a muzzle."
Howard says not only is the move total overkill, it's unenforceable under the Dog Control Act and is also unlikely to be legal under the Animal Welfare Act.
"A dog must be able to display natural behaviour. So if you've got to muzzle your dog inside your home, it cannot like itself, [and] it cannot chew.
"If they enforce this, or try and enforce it, they have to have a police officer with them because they cannot just walk into your home and say, 'Let's just see if your dog is being muzzled'."
LISTEN ABOVE AS PAMELA HOWARD SPEAKS WITH MIKE HOSKING