A dog that fatally attacked another at a dog park in the outskirts of Christchurch is unlikely to be euthanised at the request of the victim's owner.

Jo Hutchby's five-year-old chihuahua, Harrison, was attacked at Rolleston's Foster Dog Park on January 31.

READ MORE: 'Gentle, wee dog' killed at park

The Timaru woman rushed her canine companion to a nearby veterinary clinic, but Harrison died before they arrived.

Selwyn District Council senior animal control officer Steve Clarke said the owner of the other dog, a five-year-old German shorthaired pointer, contacted the council after the incident was highlighted last week.

"The guy was really remorseful. He was unaware that the dog had died."

It was likely the attacking dog would be reclassified as dangerous as Hutchby was "quite adamant" she did not want it to be put down. Being classified as dangerous meant the offending dog would need to be neutered and would have to wear a muzzle any time it was taken off its home property.

Clarke said he was confident the dog would not attack a human and there was a "slim chance" of it attacking another dog.

The dog lived on a rural Selwyn property and did not normally leave the premises, but the owner took it to the Rolleston park for the first time on the day Harrison was killed because an open home was being held at his property. "They were very upset about the whole thing," Clarke said.

The incident was a reminder that dog owners needed to have their animal under effective control at all times, he said.

Hutchby said she was missing Harrison "dreadfully", but did not want the dog that attacked him to be put down. "It was not the dog I'm having the issue with, it's the owner and his decision to let the dog off the lead."

She was "disappointed" she had not heard from the owner, but said he "may have his reasons".

She wanted other dog owners to be aware of what could happen and to avoid letting dogs off their lead around others if they were not sure how the animals would react.

- The Press

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