Hipkins Chris: Motions — Dog Control (Perro de Presa Canario) Order 2010—Approval 
Hipkins Chris: Motions — Dog Control (Perro de Presa Canario) Order 2010—Approval 
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CHRIS HIPKINS (Labour—Rimutaka) 
: 
 I am happy to speak in support of this motion to ban the perro de presa Canario dog breed having had the opportunity to sit through the Local Government and Environment Committee’s consideration of this matter under the chairmanship of Mr Auchinvole whom I can see over there. Having seen some of the evidence of this particular breed of dog I can say that we fully support the decision to ban it.  
I come to this debate as an enthusiastic supporter of the rights of dog owners because I myself have been a dog owner in the past. I think it is important that we do not place unnecessary restrictions on dog owners. 
Dr Ashraf Choudhary 
: A vicious dog? 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: I have never had a vicious dog no. I think we need to get the balance right and I think that a large amount of this falls into the category of the dog owners behaving responsibly. We cannot blame the animals for a certain amount of their behaviour. That is natural; it is what they are. They are animals at the end of the day. How they are treated by their owners will in large part have a significant impact on the way the dogs end up behaving.  
Having said that there are some breeds of dog that are significantly more susceptible to random acts of violence—or even not so random acts of violence just consistent acts of violence. The perro de presa Canario breed of dog is one of them. I do not think we need any more dogs of that nature in New Zealand. In fact we have too many dogs of that nature in New Zealand already.  
I support there being a wider review of what types of dog we have in New Zealand and of the potential to breed out some of the dog breeds that we currently have in New Zealand because they are simply dangerous dogs. If we can get rid of them I think we should. Having said that there will always be exceptions.  
I remember when I was growing up that for a while Rottweillers were regarded as being one of the most dangerous types of dog that someone could get. I happen to know a number of families who have Rottweillers that are the most placid friendly-natured creatures one could imagine. I grew up in a household with boxer dogs. Boxer dogs can be temperamental as well but they are good family dogs if they are treated properly. If they are properly trained and have the appropriate obedience training when they are puppies boxer dogs can be brilliant family pets but they can also be very unpredictable. So it is the responsibility of their owners to make sure that the dogs are properly supervised that they are kept fenced and that when they are out walking they are keeping an eye on what the dogs are getting up to and keeping them on a lead when other dogs and kids and so on are around. That is what a responsible dog owner does and there is nothing wrong therefore with that breed of dog continuing.  
The perro de presa Canario breed of dog which this motion bans from New Zealand does not fall into that category. The evidence is overwhelming that it is not a dog that can be tamed and domesticated. It is a violent-natured breed of dog and I think it is right that we ban it. We have a problem in New Zealand with a number of savage dogs and I think it is really important that we make some progress on dealing with that issue. Having said that again I come back to this issue of balance.  
I am not currently a dog owner. The lifestyle of a member of Parliament does not really lend itself to being a responsible owner and I would be a dog owner only if I could be so responsibly. I cannot be one given the amount of time I spend here. 
Phil Twyford 
: A list MP could. 
CHRIS HIPKINS 
: I tell Mr Twyford that that is an indictment on the lifestyle of list MPs. He is suggesting that a list MP could have a dog but an electorate MP could not. We need to take a lot more action on dealing with the very real risk that violent dogs pose in our community at the moment. There need to be much more severe penalties for dog owners because once again I think it comes back to the issue of dog owners needing to accept some responsibility for the actions of their dogs. They should not be able to get away lightly. The recent spate of dog attacks that we have seen in the news media highlights the issue. We as a Parliament—and particularly members on that side as a Government—need to be more proactive about dealing with this issue.  
When these things happen we should not just lament their occurrence and say we have to do something about it; we can do something about it before there are more violent dog attacks. That means dealing with menacing breeds and placing much tougher controls on them. It means looking very carefully at the breeds of dog we have in New Zealand at the moment that are menacing and violent and making sure we take action so that they are bred out of the dog breeds we have in New Zealand.