Auckland Council has defended euthanising an impounded pit bull despite rehoming offers.
By Claudia Toxopeus
Woody was found roaming the streets by Auckland police on January 18 and was taken to the Manukau pound where he was put down seven days later after the council say an owner never came forward.
The Saving Hope Foundation dispute this story, sharing Woody's plight on social media, sparking outrage and racking up thousands of comments.
“We are absolutely gutted at this outcome for him and so many like him, that continue to be euthanised based purely on the way they look,” the foundation's co-founder Janine Hinton said.
"There are some amazing pounds that work hard with the dogs but there are some extremely disgusting pounds.
“The pound when asked how they judge a pit bull couldn't give an answer so I said I would do a post to find his owner".
Hinton said an alleged owner was on his way to pick up the dog but didn’t make it in time.
Auckland Councils Manager Animal Management Ely Waitoa said otherwise.
“While a number of people came to forward to claim the dog, under investigation the claims were found to be false. Those who came forward were without evidence and could not provide details such as the dog’s name or age.”
She told 1News the Animal Management team works hard to rehome dogs, but when this isn’t possible, other options are considered.
“While it is never our first choice to euthanise an animal, and is not a decision that is made lightly, we are required to follow the Dog Control Act, which automatically classifies dogs that are wholly or predominantly made up of these breeds as menacing, no matter how they behave individually.”
The act contains Breed-Specific Legislation (BSL) which targets specific breeds of dogs that are deemed to be dangerous and limits the possession of them.
The legislation applies to the American pit bull terrier, Brazilian fila, Japanese tosa, dogo Argentino, and perro de presa canario.
But now a movement to end BSL for all pit bull breeds is underway.
A Facebook page titled Justice for Woody has more than 5000 members.
“Judging dogs on their breed makes no sense! Any dog can be dangerous in the wrong hands. Such a disgusting and hugely unfair law,” one comment on the page reads.
A petition calling for the abolition of the legislation has also gained more than 1000 signatures.
Waitoa urges owners to microchip and register their pets to prevent incidents like this.
“We understand that this has been an upsetting incident, and we empathise with those involved”.
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