ORANGE City Council is refusing to apologise despite triggering an embarrassing case of mistaken identity that nearly spelled disaster for Charlotte the two-year-old pooch.
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The Central Western Daily last week reported the tale of a dispute between Orange City Council and Charlotte’s distraught owner Ray Chamberlain.
Council rangers were adamant Charlotte was a restricted breed of pit bull, while Mr Chamberlain passionately argued the two-year-old dog was a bull terrier.
Had the mutt been declared a pit bull laws would have required her to be permanently caged or destroyed.
To end the stalemate, Charlotte late last week underwent a breed assessment which, to Mr Chamberlain’s delight, declared the dog a non-restricted breed of American Staffordshire bull terrier.
Orange City Council accepted the findings of the breed assessment after sighting a copy yesterday.
However, communications and public relations manager Nick Redmond said staff made no apologies for taking the matter seriously and maintained Charlotte remains a risk to the community.
“Look, we accept the decision but irrespective of all that keep in mind this is a dog that came to the attention of council when it was on the loose, acting aggressively to residents of an aged care facility and it also tried to bite a ranger,” Mr Redmond said.
Mr Chamberlain said the $50 breed assessment had probably saved the life of his canine companion.
“If council doesn’t want to apologise that’s fine, as long as they don’t come near me again with their false accusations that will suit me,” he said.
Council is yet to determine what action, if any, it will take against Mr Chamberlain for allowing Charlotte loose in public.