'Companion dog' class proposed

Dogs that allay owners' anxiousness may soon be classed as working dogs by the Marlborough District Council.

The new classification of companion dogs will mean the dogs can enter public places and will entitle the owner to lower registration fees.

Three people are seeking the new category, with two requests from deaf people and the third from a person with acute anxiety and concerns for their personal safety.

Under the Dog Control Act 1996, none of the three dogs can be classified as disability-assist dogs, as they were unable to be certified as trained by official bodies such as the Mobility Assistance Dogs Trust, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People New Zealand and the Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind. Disability-assist dogs are allowed to enter public places and other locations from which dogs are normally banned, and their owners are able to pay the lower working-dog registration fee.

Under the new classification, companion dogs would have the same benefits as disability-assist dogs, except they would not be allowed to enter restaurants and other premises from which dogs are normally banned for health reasons (as assist dogs can).

Marlborough District Council environmental protection legal officer Kaye McIlveney said companion dog applications would be assessed on a case-by-case basis. They would also need a letter of support from a disability assistance organisation or doctor.

- The Marlborough Express