Dog attack a reminder for dog owners and public

230914sp13 Dog attack on Neil Road. 23 September 2014 Daily Post photograph by Stephen Parker

This week's dog attack in Rotorua is a reminder for both dog owners and the public.

"We are always very concerned whenever there is a dog attack and we're very relieved the injuries resulting from yesterday's incident were not worse," Rotorua District Council Animal Control Supervisor Kevin Coutts said.

The incidence of dog attacks was no worse in Rotorua than anywhere else in New Zealand but this week's incident was a reminder for dog owners to ensure dogs were under control and the need for others to be wary of dogs not known to them, he said.

"We are speaking to dog owners and the general public all the time, doing what we can to educate them. In certain situations, all dogs are capable of attacking.

"Some dog types are very strong and tough and when in a situation like this anything you may have been told about what you should do tends to go out the window - a parent, as in this case, will go in to protect, as these two women did."

Dog owners were required to ensure their dogs are properly controlled and contained at all times, Mr Coutts said. The two dogs at the Neil Road property where the attack occurred were in a fully fenced section - one was tied up, the other, which attacked, was not.

"The best thing other people can do is be aware of the potential dangers and educate their children to be wary of and stay clear of dogs they don't know," Mr Coutts said. "In this case this may have been a situation where a child has perhaps acted instinctively in going to retrieve his ball."

Both dogs on the property were unregistered but they were micro-chipped and de-sexed, as required for all dogs classified as a "menacing breed". Other than a report of barking, there had been no previous reported incidents involving the two dogs, Mr Coutts said.

Both dogs were seized after the attack but the one not involved in the attack could be retrieved by the owner, provided registration and fees incurred following seizure were paid, he said.

The other dog would at this stage remain at the dog pound, pending the outcome of the police investigation, Mr Coutts said.
Police could prosecute the dogs' owners under Section 58 of the Dog Control Act 1996 for a dog attack causing serious injury or death, a charge which carries a maximum penalty of 3 years in jail or a $20,000 fine.

If police do not prosecute, they will hand the investigation back to the council which could prosecute the owner for an attack on a person, which carries a maximum penalty of a fine of up to $3000.

Mr Coutts said in the past 12 months in Rotorua, council animal control staff dealt with 69 reported incidents involving dogs biting people and four people were prosecuted. Fifteen of the 69 reported incidents those involved pit bull types.