Airport dog’s death avoidable

The fatal shooting of an aviation security dog that escaped onto Auckland Airport’s runway was avoidable, a report into the incident suggests. Grizz escaped from the Aviation Security (Avsec) compound at the airport in March last year.

The 10-month-old bearded collie/German short-haired pointer cross eluded recapture for three hours, disrupting more than a dozen flights, and was ultimately shot by police.

An investigation into the killing reveals Grizz had been taken out of his kennel without a leash, there was no fence stopping him leaving the dog kennel area, and the gate to enter and exit the Aviation Security compound had been left open.

“It appears to me that each of these three factors was an essential contributor to the series of events that led to the dog’s escape,” investigation author Andrew Scott-Howman said in his findings.

Auckland Airport now has a high powered net-gun.

Clear procedures have now also been established to ensure that if a dog escapes again, the situation is better handled.

Avsec general manager Mark Wheeler said all reasonable steps were taken to capture Grizz.