EDITORIAL: 

This is one of those stories that leaves you feeling angry, frustrated and, most of all, heartbroken for a little girl and her family. 

A five-year-old girl has been left with serious facial injuries after being mauled by a dog that had been released from the Porirua pound just one day earlier. 

According to evidence presented in court, the dog, called Thanos, had already attacked an 18-year-old family member in January.  

That attack resulted in facial injuries, antibiotics and treatment. The dog was impounded and classified as dangerous. 

But after the owner asked for it to be returned, the council released it, warning the owner that the adults at the Cambridge property where it was going to live had to be told about the risks and the need for vigilance. 

Then came the tragedy. 

The very next day, a five-year-old girl was in a garage playing fetch with the dog.  

The dog that had just been released after attacking an 18 year old. 

The dog was not wearing a muzzle. It was not on a lead.  

It attacked her, causing horrific injuries to her cheek and lip. 

She required surgery to repair what doctors described as a complex wound. Blood supply had to be restored.  

Today she carries scars across her lip, beside her nose and under her eye and it is horrific. 

And that's where my sympathy lies this morning.  

Not with the council, bad decision. Not with the dog owner, horrific decision. Not with the dog which knows no better. 

With a little girl who will likely remember this for the rest of her life. 

I love dogs. I've owned dogs. Most dog owners are responsible people.  

But we are making a mistake in this country when we start pretending dogs are people. 

They're not. 

They're animals. Some are powerful.  

This dog had already shown aggression. It had already attacked someone.  

Yet somehow, within 24 hours of being released, it was around a young child without the most basic precautions being taken. 

Knowing that this dog had attacked someone before.  

That to me is simply not good enough. 

Owning a dog is a privilege. It's not a right.  

And when a dog has already shown it can attack, the responsibility on the owner becomes even greater.  

Once a dog has attacked, there is no ifs no buts no maybes they have to be put down. Simple. Simple, because they will do it again.  

The lesson from this story is simple. Love your dogs. Care for your dogs.  

But never ever forget what they're capable of doing. 

Because when people get complacent, it's innocent children who end up paying the price. 

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