‘Menacing dog’ was saved from death row

A Gold Coast woman has saved her ‘menacing’ dog from death row after a two-year battle with authorities.

A GOLD Coast woman has saved her dog Cuda from death row after a two-year battle with authorities.

The Gold Coast City Council seized the dog and ordered it be destroyed after it was found to have broken restrictions by wandering on its own.

Cuda’s owner Tracey Gligoric objected and the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal last month ruled she get her pet back.

QCAT documents of the decision outline a saga that has been ongoing since January 2018 when Cuda, a Staffordshire Bull Terrier, was declared a regulated menacing dog.

The declaration meant he needed to be microchipped, wear identification tags, kept in an enclosure with a displayed sign, be kept under control, desexed and to wear a muzzle in public.

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A male Staffordshire Bull Terrier, the same breed as Cuda. Picture: Stephen Laffer

The documents outline that on November 4, 2018 Cuda was involved in an attack on a dog and person.

“Ms Gligoric disputes that Cuda bit the man in question. However, no review of the declaration was ever sought, and it remains in force,” the documents note.

On January 10, 2019 Cuda escaped and was accused of attacking another person.

By March 2019, the council had ordered Cuda be put down.

Ms Gligoric was able to save the canine by agreeing to move his enclosure, having him desexed and using a muzzle in a public place.

On June 28, 2019 the council tried to seize Cuda because of breaches of the conditions of keeping a regulated dog.

Cuda was seen wandering again on January 12 this year.

The dog was seized on February 1 after council was told he was out of his enclosures about 4.30am on January 30. It was later discovered Cuda was not involved in that incident.

Despite his name being cleared, the council on February 6 ordered Cuda be put down.

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Ms Gligoric appealed but the council upheld the decision to put the dog down because it said conditions such as being outside his enclosure, not wearing a muzzle and not kept in approved enclosure had been breached on January 12.

“Cuda is a powerful dog which Ms Gligoric says she had difficulty controlling when in a public place,” the council alleged to QCAT.

Ms Gligoric appealed to QCAT and Cuda remained in the council pound until a decision was made late last month.

QCAT member Ann Fitzpatrick said: “There is no evidence that Cuda poses a threat to people or animals if he is kept in accordance with the relevant conditions.”

She ordered Cuda be released to Ms Gligoric after the council had approved the dog enclosure at her Nerang home.

A council spokeswoman said the city “does not comment on individual cases”.

“We respect the finding handed down by QCAT,” she said.