Dog’s death ordered after third attack

A Manawatu¯ mastiff that attacked two women and a child in the past year will be destroyed.

Ben, a neapolitan mastiff, was on death row after the three attacks, and yesterday the death sentence was confirmed.

Peter Klaassen appeared in the Palmerston North District Court to try to convince Judge Lance Rowe his dog didn’t need to die. He failed, and the judge also ordered Klaassen to pay the most recent victim $200 in compensation for the emotional and physical harm she suffered in the attack.

Rowe said he regretted ordering the dog’s death, but from everything presented to the court it seemed inevitable Ben would hurt someone again.

Rowe described how in 2017 Ben got loose, then chased down and bit a child who was walking past. Then, several months later, Ben ‘‘playfully’’ knocked down a woman visiting Klaassen, biting her too.

Ben was officially labelled a dangerous dog after the second attack. This meant Klaassen had to keep him secure at home and could take the dog out in public only if he was muzzled and on a leash – which he failed to do on at least one occasion.

In April, Ben was ordered to be destroyed unless Klaassen could prove the attack happened under ‘‘exceptional circumstances’’.

Klaassen argued he had taken proper precautions to prevent future attacks, including building a large and secure fence.

However, on March 28 he forgot to properly latch the gate when he felt ill, allowing Ben to escape on to the street.

The judge noted the mastiff almost immediately went for a woman who was walking past Klaassen’s property, biting her in an unprovoked attack. Ben got her by the leg, leaving a deep wound on her calf.