South Hedland man cops massive fine after his dog kills multiple other dogs

A Pilbara man has been fined more than $7000 for a number of dog-related offences, including two incidents in which his American Staffy killed other dogs. South Hedland’s Koy Bond was handed $7500 in fines for more than 10 separate offences after his American staffy Buddy killed a Maltese shih tzu and a fox terrier in March and July of 2021. The sum included a $2000 fine for the attack of a person or animal, $1500 in court costs and 10 separate fines of $400 for every other offence committed. The 10 fines included owning an unregistered dog, having a dog on a non-compliant property without adequate fencing and the dog being without the control of its owner or designated person. Following the first incident, Buddy was officially declared a “dangerous dog” meaning additional precautions had to be followed for his handling. According to Bond, he had left the dogs under the supervision of his partner, Ms Banka Rosewood and her brother whose charges have not yet been disclosed. Prior to owning Buddy, Bond had two other American Staffies who also had to be surrendered and put down after they killed a dog. South Hedland Ranger Chris Matzen said if Bond committed another offence he would again be prosecuted, and possibly banned from owning another dog. “We have to set a point there to make sure these people understand this is unacceptable behaviour in terms of ownership of dogs,” Mr Matzen said. Mr Matzen said changes to the 2022 iteration of the Hedland Dog Act put a bigger emphasis on owner responsibility. The Act states that if the dog commits an offence after escaping from a premises, the penalty for a dangerous dog is $4000.