Yesterday, Miss Lucas, her mother Gill, sister Olivia (11), and grandmother Agnes Minty, supported by several young friends, appealed the Queenstown Lakes District Council's classification so Bella, a Neopolitan mastiff-pit bull-cross, "can lead a normal life".
Bella is only allowed to live at Gill Lucas' Warren St house under strict conditions, including that it is fully fenced and the dog is muzzled outside.
The complainant's details have been withheld. She was holidaying in Wanaka at the time of the incident and was not at the appeal hearing.
The attack in Dungarvon St on December 14 was regarded by Lakes Environmental staff as at the lower end of the scale, because it did not break skin or cause bruising but did cause a small hole in the complainant's jersey.
But the investigation elicited damning reports from two vets and an animal control officer, which in turn convinced the council, at a meeting on February 16, to classify Bella as dangerous under the Dog Control Act.
Miss Lucas told commissioners David Clarke and Sally Middleton yesterday that since the attack, Bella has been attending "puppy school".
"I have noticed a huge change in her attitude. She's a lot more mature now. Back then, she was just a puppy - 13 months. She is now 18 months," Miss Lucas said.
She thought she had been doing the right thing by taking Bella to a friend's place to socialise with a male pit bull-type dog, Zephyr, who was also a subject of the complaint and incurred a menacing dog classification.
"But I realise I was teaching her bad habits, letting her jump up on people and things, because she got so excited about things ... She didn't mean to be aggressive," Miss Lucas said, adding later she did not take Bella on play dates with Zephyr any more.
Gary Wulff, a dog behaviour trainer, had assessed the family's environment and indicated his belief Bella did not need to be muzzled, she said.
The incident occurred when the complainant and her cousin walked past a Dungarvon St property, where a third dog began to bark and Bella and Zephyr began to run. Bella continued on to the street, while Zephyr stayed on the property.
The complainant said Bella snarled at her and grabbed at her arm, causing a hole in her jersey.
Both dogs were impounded and assessed by vets Carol Hollebon (Wanaka) and Ngaire Dixon (Ashburton) and Queenstown animal control officer Matthew Omond.
Their statements were handed up to the commissioners by Lakes Environmental regulatory and corporate manager Lee Webster.
Ms Hollebon's opinion was Bella should be classified as a dangerous dog, based on her experience with Bella on three separate occasions in the preceding year.
Ms Nixon said both dogs were displaying the "potential signs of fear aggression" and "with this type of aggressive behaviour there is potential for severe injury to humans".
Mr Omond said he observed Bella behaving "extremely aggressively" and he was not able to get close to her, with the dog maintaining her aggression during the 20 minutes he spent with her.
He believed Bella was a threat to his safety and should be classified as "dangerous".
Miss Lucas, her family and friends, defended Bella's nature and disputed some of the facts in the statements provided by the vets and Mr Omond.
Miss Lucas said Bella would have been behaving aggressively because she would have been "traumatised" by being impounded and separated from the family.
She said she believed Bella was an American Staffordshire terrier and the vets' classification was the first she realised Bella was a pit bull type.
Mr Clarke reserved the decision to obtain more information.
