Two menacing pets who terrorised Dunedin residents, attacked livestock and a council officer will be euthanised after a year on doggy death row.
Jasmine Lee Campbell, 29, appeared in the Dunedin District Court yesterday where she pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to confine or control a dog, one of a dog attacking poultry and one of a dog attacking a person.
The court heard the brindle bullmastiff called Quake and the red and white American pitbull-Rottweiler cross called Karma had been in the city’s pound for nearly a year, landing Campbell with a $17,000 bill.
Judge Flatley convicted her of the offences under the Dog Control Act and she did not oppose the destruction of her animals.
Within months of Campbell moving from the Waitaki district to Dunedin, the animals’ behaviour had been the subject of 34 complaints, court documents said.
After repeated reports of the dogs wandering the streets unsupervised, in September last year the Dunedin City Council ordered both be removed from the defendant’s Caversham home.
But Campbell ignored the request.
Three weeks later, animal-control staff were called to the address twice because Karma was roaming unrestrained and unmuzzled.
A summary said the dog was impounded and later released to Campbell, who took it to Calton Hill.
While there though, Karma jumped a fence and attacked poultry at a nearby house before a resident intervened.
"Two chickens and a turkey were shocked and sustained injuries", court documents said.
When Karma returned to Caversham, there was another escape.
On October 13, the dog entered the grounds of Carisbrook School and behaved aggressively, prompting a caretaker to restrain it until council officers arrived.
Karma was impounded, and was joined by Quake the next day.
Officers were called out over reports of a dog on the loose and found Campbell’s gate wide open.
She answered the door, flanked by Quake, who began growling.
"The officer turned his body so as not to be intimidating but the dog jumped and bit his left hand", the court heard.
The man sustained bruising and swelling but did not require medical attention.
The council will ban Campbell from dog ownership for five years.
rob.kidd@odt.co.nz , Court reporter
