24 June 2021
Published 13 November 2020
A declared dangerous dog that attacked a teenage girl and later attacked a regulatory services officer has been put down, and the owner has plead guilty to multiple charges of irresponsible pet ownership.
The Pine Rivers Magistrates Court convicted the Deception Bay man and fined him $10,000 for allowing the attacks to occur.
Mayor Peter Flannery said it was a distressing case, but he welcomed the court’s ruling in the interests of keeping the Moreton Bay community safe.
“Dogs aren’t born bad they’re raised badly, so the tragedy of this whole situation is that it’s the owner’s fault,” said Mayor Flannery.
“There’s nothing noble in his late guilty plea, because a court can’t undo the emotional and physical scars for those poor victims.
“Even worse, the dog’s owners initially denied any responsibility and launched a petition to generate cash donations to help cover their legal fees.
“We’ve seen this kind of things before and it needs to stop, which is why Council takes a zero tolerance approach to irresponsible pet ownership.
“The tragic fact is Moreton Bay Region has shockingly high rates of animal attacks, and I intend turning those statistics around.
“With the new cabinet now sworn in, I’ll be asking for meetings with the Agriculture Minister and new Attorney-General to progress our lobbying about the need to give dog attack victims greater power and support by changing the Animal Management Act and QCAT Act.
“This follows the motion Moreton Bay Regional Council successfully passed at the 2019 LGAQ Conference with Goondiwindi Regional Council.
“Everyone in our community has the right to be safe, and owners of dogs who have a blatant disregard for the laws that keep us all safe are robbing people of that right.
“Council will not hesitate to throw the book at anyone who wants to test the boundaries of the laws we have in place to keep people safe.
“So if you see a dangerous or menacing animal, please report it to Council and know that we will handle all matters sensitively.
“I want to thank the brave men and women in our regulatory services team who regularly put themselves in danger in the line of duty, and for all their hard work investigating this matter to ensure that the dog’s victims got the right outcome in court.
“I hope this serves as a warning – the law is black and white and if you do not take responsibility for the control of your animal you will face the consequences.”