Elana Lee lost her fight against Gold Coast City Council to stop dogs being declared dangerous

A Gold Coast mum has been unable to weather the storm and stop her two Great Danes – Thunda and Jazz – from being declared dangerous dogs.

A Gold Coast mum has been unable to weather the storm and stop her two Great Danes – Thunda and Jazz – from being declared dangerous dogs after they attacked two border collies.

Elana Lee tried to fight the Gold Coast City Council’s ruling that her two pooches were dangerous in the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT).

QCAT Member Michelle Lember last week agreed with council’s decision to declare the canines dangerous.

The attack which prompted the calls to label the dogs dangerous left one victim dog needing surgery, one of the border collies’ owners with a bite and the other owner with grazes from being pulled along, QCAT documents said.

The decision came too late for Jazz who sadly passed away in April last year.

The battle to save the dogs from being slapped with the “dangerous” moniker began after an incident on April 20, 2020.

Ms Lee was walking Thunda and Jazz on a lead when the owners of two border collies – Maci and Peppa – approached.

Thunda and Jazz began to move towards the border collies and did not respond to Mr Lee’s attempts to check them, according to QCAT documents.

The dogs pulled on the lead so hard Ms Lee tripped.

When she got up, Thunda and Jazz were standing over Maci and Peppa and growling, according to QCAT documents.

The border collies’ owners were trying to pull the dogs apart.

According to QCAT documents Ms Lee told the border collies’ owner: “I’m sorry I have no idea what came over them.

“It is like they just had something in for your dogs. I don’t know what they were doing.

“I can’t believe it, they have not done this before.”

Ms Lee offered to pay for the border collies’ vet bills.

It was after this incident was reported that the council declared the Thunda and Jazz dangerous.

A dangerous dog declaration places a number of restrictions on the pets including they must be muzzled when they leave home, the dog must be under effective control away from home, when the dog is in a vehicle it must be restrained and the dog is to be kept in an enclosure when at home.

The council also has the power to seize and destroy dangerous dogs in certain circumstances.

In objecting to the declaration Ms Lee claimed Thunda and Jazz only approached the dogs but it was the border collies who were initially aggressive.

“It was a scuffle between four dogs and the other dogs were aggressive,” she said.

Member Lember said in QCAT documents: “With respect to Ms Lee, it is nonsense to suggest … that no attack occurred and that injuries were not suffered, or if they were, (the border collies’ owner) was responsible for causing them by pulling at his dogs.”

Member Lember said she was aware of the bond between Thunda, Jazz and Ms Lee but could not allow those concerns to override community health and safety.

She said she agreed with the council’s decision, meaning the Thunda and Jazz will be declared dangerous dogs.