Queenstown's 'singing dog' to remain muzzled, after attacking other dogs
From reporter Debbie Jamieson:
Happy the singing sheepdog is not as happy as he once was, and neither is his owner.
Kim Turton has been busking on Queenstown’s lake front for 28 years and has been joined by his “best friend” Happy during the last seven years.
However, in March this year, Happy bit another dog and was classified as menacing by the Queenstown Lakes District Council.
Turton appealed but a decision from the council’s hearing panel this week upheld the classification, noting there had been previous dog-on-dog attacks involving Happy in the last two years.
The council had undertaken education and infringement enforcement action previously. The classification was the next appropriate enforcement tool, the decision said.
Turton argued he had not been treated fairly by the council and the sight of the muzzle made people wary of approaching him, which affected his income from busking.
“I used to make a living here, but now I’m struggling,” he said.
“Happy doesn’t like it, of course, but he still loves singing, and he still sings with me.”
Recently, Turton was approached by a man accusing him of being cruel by muzzling Happy.
“He told me to pack up, so I did. I don’t want a complaint,” he said.
Turton objected to many aspects of the council’s case against him, believing it was a personal vendetta by a staff member and that some evidence was misrepresented.
He was now seeking the advice of a lawyer before considering whether to go to the ombudsman or police with his concerns.
He was left feeling that he couldn’t trust anyone, he said.
“Really I just want to finish this. It’s been four months of hell for me.
“Ten times a day people ask me about the muzzle, and it makes me feel stressed and angry once again.”
Turton told the panel he adopted Happy when Happy was three months old, and he had become his best friend, the decision said.
“When [Turton] first got him, [Happy] was a ‘screwed up puppy that came from a car crash’ and he did not respond to professional dog training, but after being neutered, his whole demeanour had changed, and he became a normal dog."
Turton stressed that he always had Happy on a lead, whether it be a normal lead or lead attached to his foot, as he said it was when the latest incident happened.
The panel was concerned that just having Happy on a lead would not mitigate the risk of Happy attacking another dog.
“We consider it apparent that Happy is nervous of other dogs coming into his space in this environment and his reaction is to be aggressive, and this has occurred several times over the years.
“Action has been taken to address this behaviour in the form of education and placement of cones to mark his area, but there continues to be a problem,” the decision said.
The panel acknowledged that Happy had not shown aggression towards people, only dogs.
Riddle Challenge! Will You Crack It, or Will the Neighbours Beat You?
A woman shoots her husband. Then she holds him underwater for over 5 minutes. Finally, she hangs him. But 5 minutes later they both go out together and enjoy a wonderful dinner together. How can this be?
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Poll: Would you rather: Christmas in summer forever or winter forever?
Just a bit of a fun poll to get you thinking.
If you had to live out your Christmas days, would you prefer it was a summer Christmas or a winter Christmas?
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60.2% Summer
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37.6% Winter
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2.2% Other - I'll share below
⚠️ DOGS DIE IN HOT CARS. If you love them, don't leave them. ⚠️
It's a message we share time and time again, and this year, we're calling on you to help us spread that message further.
Did you know that calls to SPCA about dogs left inside hot cars made up a whopping 11% of all welfare calls last summer? This is a completely preventable issue, and one which is causing hundreds of dogs (often loved pets) to suffer.
Here are some quick facts to share with the dog owners in your life:
👉 The temperature inside a car can heat to over 50°C in less than 15 minutes.
👉 Parking in the shade and cracking windows does little to help on a warm day. Dogs rely on panting to keep cool, which they can't do in a hot car.
👉 This puts dogs at a high risk of heatstroke - a serious condition for dogs, with a mortality rate between 39%-50%.
👉 It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act to leave a dog in a hot vehicle if they are showing signs of heat stress. You can be fined, and prosecuted.
SPCA has created downloadable resources to help you spread the message even further. Posters, a flyer, and a social media tile can be downloaded from our website here: www.spca.nz...
We encourage you to use these - and ask your local businesses to display the posters if they can. Flyers can be kept in your car and handed out as needed.
This is a community problem, and one we cannot solve alone. Help us to prevent more tragedies this summer by sharing this post.
On behalf of the animals - thank you ❤️
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