Geraldton woman Julie Dwyer wins bid to keep ‘dangerous’ dog after attack

A Geraldton woman has won the fight to keep her dog from being destroyed after it attacked another pet last year. Julie Dwyer pleaded guilty to four charges under the Dog Act, including being responsible for a dog which attacked and caused injury to another animal, and failing to ensure a dangerous dog was wearing an appropriate collar. Geraldton Magistrates Court on Monday was told Dwyer’s mastiff cross Alvin was involved in a “substantial” attack on a dog on September 3, with the other pet requiring “significant treatment” for its injuries. A prosecutor for the City of Greater Geraldton said Alvin was declared a dangerous animal after a previous attack on another dog. “This was not a one-off incident,” he said. Despite her past promises to ensure her home fences were secure, the prosecutor said holes in Dwyer’s home fence had not yet been repaired. He recommended the court issue an order for destruction of the dog. Dwyer said she was still in the process of fixing her fences and had made a partial payment of $500 for the sterilisation of her dog upon its release from the pound. Magistrate Angus Hockton said his “initial instinct” had been to order the dog be destroyed, but he recognised Dwyer’s attempts to prevent further incidents from occurring. “You have already engaged in a number of expenses and endeavours to ensure there is a safer enclosure for your dog at home. And you have made a partial payment to get the dog sterilised, which will in your view perhaps change the aggressive nature of the dog,” he said. Mr Hockton said Alvin would not be destroyed if Dwyer had him sterilised within 14 days. He also ordered she fix the gaps in her fence within 30 days so “the dog cannot escape and a child cannot wander on to the property” and risk being harmed by the animal. Dwyer was fined $2500 and ordered to pay $1409 in court costs.