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Last Tango For Council..


tybrax
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Last Tango for Council

Matthew Killoran

After six years, seven months, and 28 days in exile,Tango the American Amstafordshire terrier is back on the Gold Coast.

The dog, owned by Kylie Chivers and John Mokomoko, was the centre of a legal battle with the Gold Coast City Council

about whether he was a restricted American pit bull.

While in April the Supreme Court ruled ruled that Amstaffs were pit bulls, in July, the State Gov amended Legislation to

specify the animals are a different breed, which meant Tango could come home..

Thumbing there nosese up at the Council, Ms Chivers and Mr.Mokomoko made Tango's stop outside the city Council Chambers.

Calling on animal control officers officers to take the dog away or leave them alone.

"If they honour and integrity they would come put and apoligise," Mr Mokomoko said.

Mr.Mokomoko said he had spent close to 40.000 on kennel fees over the past six years and he would be seeking compensation

from the council. While a Council spokeman declined to comment, community and Cultural services boss Bob La Castra said the council

had acted within the law at all times.. :D :D.

Congrat's to John and Kylie :(

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Best thing that's popped up in my email for ages....that gorgeous pic of Tango & family. Thanks, Tybrax. And huge hugs to you & all the others who stood behind them in that long, awful battle.

May this sort of thing never happen again, over a totally innocent family dog.

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If the the QLD government determine the only safe dog is a purebred AKNC registered dog they wouldn't have solved any of the real issues.

If someone wants a amstaff just look on here, they're fast becoming a very popular breed and all the "potentially irresponsible owners" have to do is buy a legal one. Big deal, it's not going to make them a better owner.

The only sufferers are the dogs, and good owners like Jon.

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Tangos story was briefly on chanel 7 last night.

however the final words were that he may not be free for long as the qld govt is amending the legislation...

a pox on them if this is true

does anyone know what the actual situation is

helen

sorry, on mobile, any info on what they are going to change in the legislation?

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Don't worry about the lack of any appeal.

It was a "one off" decision based on only half the real evidence because Tango's owners and (pro bono) lawyers got "bushwacked" by the Council changing its case from "It is not an Amstaff it's a pitbull" to "Of course its an Amstaff but all Amstaffs are pitbulls", at the last minute (ie, on the day in court). The system let it get away with that. With hindisght, maybe Tango's team should have seen it coming (eg a decision some months earlier to walk away from D Pomeroy and co as witnesses should have sent up a signal of some kind).

If there is ever such a case again, the full history of AKC/UKC breed separation, the different strains that were bred or used for fighting (eg ADBA ancestors) and everything else will come out, and the legislation will be interpreted to apply only to dogs that come from stock that is or was bred for fighting. Now I know full well that that expression is also meaningless in many ways, but the point is that the legislation properly applied, even before the 2010 changes, does not apply to family pets who are, or are bred from, Amstaff or any other breed with a demonstrated history in the show ring.

Why has that never been argued or decided? Because every time a case has come close, the Council has backed away. They are the ultimate cowards in the sense that they bully until they are really stood up to, and they then run away. But so few people have the assistance they need to get to that point. They ACOs know full well what b/s they have been peddling. Unfortunately, every councillor I have spoken with about the issue, and there have been more than a few, is a mushroom, and not the sharpest mushroom in the compost heap at that. You get what you vote for - politicians. Now they should be a subject to "22 point" identification (1. Is unable to give a straight answer to a straight question. 3 points 2. Actually believes that some breeds are inherently dangeros they need to be killed, because a highly qualified ACO told them so. 3 points etc), and compulsory de-sexing, but I don't want to get off topic........

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