Queenstown’s ‘famous singing sheepdog’, Happy, will have to keep howling through a muzzle, a council panel’s ruled.
The 7-year-old has had to wear a muzzle in public since he was classified as a menacing dog after biting a Bichon Frise/Jack Russell, Alfie, on Marine Parade on March 25.
The decision by a three-man panel of the council’s dog control committee follows an appeal hearing two weeks ago at which Happy’s owner, busker Kim Turton, pleaded for the muzzle order to be overturned.
Turton, who’s been busking with Happy on the waterfront for the past seven years, told chairman Craig ‘Ferg’ Ferguson and members Matt Wong and Lyal Cocks he’d owned Happy since he was a ‘‘screwed-up puppy that came from a car crash’’.
Happy became a ‘‘normal dog’’ after being neutered, and he was confident he wouldn’t attack another dog while on a leash.
The muzzle made onlookers wary of approaching, and his income’s fallen by about a half, he claimed.
However, a report by the council’s animal control team said Happy wasn’t on a leash when he ‘‘suddenly reacted, growled and lunged’’ at Alfie, biting him behind the left ear.
His ‘‘history of dog-on-dog attacks’’ had led to six previous complaints, an infringement notice and a written warning.
Team boss Carrie Edgerton told the panel the classification was the next step after education and infringements had failed.
In this week’s decision, Ferguson says it’s apparent Happy is ‘‘nervous of other dogs coming into his space’’.
‘‘His reaction is to be aggressive, and this has occurred several times over the years.’’
The panel remains concerned that keeping Happy on a leash isn’t enough to reduce the risk of another attack.
‘‘Assuming Happy had been on a lead at the time of the incident … it would seem [Turton’s] stated trust in Happy not reoffending if on a lead, is misplaced.’’
Turton couldn’t be reached for comment by Mountain Scene deadline.
