Justice for my dog ZiaZia.

Do you know how many dogs are KILLED per year??!!

PLEASE help me to complete the court process to get the Dog law applied correctly, to help stop what is happening to our beloved animal friends. I need to raise NZ$540 for the first lot of fees for the review process. While I still have rights to Judicial Review, the Council went ahead and killed my dog. I asked them to hold off so I could enact my rights and have the process come to completion. They ignored me and my rights and killed my beautiful, healthy, intelligent, healed and loving dog.

I do not want this to happen to others and this problem has been going on for 30 years. Many more than 3000 dogs are killed at the pounds each year in New Zealand. They are applying strict liability to cases and reversing the onus of proof onto the owner - as in: prove yourself innocent. The mistake was made back in 1984 and they have continued it on as a precedent- though it is still a mistake! This means it has affected, and will affect, many dogs and owners. The law is not being applied correctly and so it is still a mistake -a precedent can't be set with something that goes against the law, the law is there -liability in negligence - and should be applied correctly. This needs to be sorted and back to the law, not running with a mistaken precedent of strict liability. Applying strict liability means there is absolutely no defence.

Liability in negligence means they have to prove you were negligent, I was not negligent as I took all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of all involved, and the person who was looking after her admitted human error in this instance (where they got bitten) as they did not follow the agreed upon instructions and feeding routine. Though in the court room this all got twisted and there was collusion and lies and a whole new story told and not what had been submitted originally to the council. Furthermore, all they said to me was I should have put her in a kennel while I went away, and because I didn't, they determined to convict me as well as there was no way of defence as competing against a strict liability application.

I believe it was right to have my dog stay in her own home environment, with someone who had lived with her for over a year and knew her well, had been fine to accept the role of looking after her and also had clear instructions to follow, which was best for my dog. It was not right to be put in a foreign place where she would be out of her comfort zone and around strangers. She was still a young dog and had some anxiety, so home was best option while I was away for two weeks only.

The funds will help me to follow this case through, and even though they have killed my dog, I want to see this get set right. They should not have killed her and should have allowed me my due process and on completion seen if she came back to me or not. If it does come out in my favour, which I have help with to get it there, then what they have done is illegal!

Thank you so much for helping. I hope that this will be successful so that other dogs and owners are spared the horror and unfairness that has occured to us. Give our dogs a chance to be healed, trained, rehabilitated, transformed after they make a mistake - like everyone else has. Everyone makes mistakes, noone is exempt. Though all should have a chance to redeem themselves. My ZiaZia was an intelligent dog who had been working on herself and fully transformed through this and has proven that she was learning and moving past mistakes and issues. She didn't deserve to lose her life.

Please help to save dog's lives! Justice for dog owners too. Please put in whatever you can, as I really need the help. Thank you!!!

Note: By preparing and filing the case myself (along with advisors), costs will be kept to the bare minimum, though funds will be used to overcome any potential obstacles such as the court imposing security for costs, and filing fees. Also wherever possible I will apply for a waiver of fees.