A VICE-PRESIDENT of the state’s appeals tribunal has questioned the accuracy of the standard used to judge restricted breed dogs.

County Court judge Michael Macnamara said there was “inherent uncertainty” in applying the standard to determine whether a dog was a restricted breed. He questioned whether the standard was having its desired effect, after it was developed to help council officers that seized unregistered dogs. “It’s a noble aspiration but I wonder if it’s actually being achieved,” he said.

Anxious wait: Louise Dunn and partner Arthur Kalamaras are waiting to be reunited with their dog Rocket. Picture: Joe Armao/The Age

The comments were made at the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal last week, when former Cardinia Shire resident Arthur Kalamaras is fighting to be reunited with his dog — deemed to be an American pit bull terrier — after being seized by the council.

Despite the challenges in applying the standard, Judge Macnamara said: “This is the regime we have to work with.”

Under cross-examination, Cardinia Shire compliance service officer John Van Rensch could not identify the dog’s occiput — the back part of the skull — even though his report stated it met the description of a restricted breed.

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