KEY POINTS:
Two roaming dogs that savaged and killed a woman in the Bay of Plenty were not registered, authorities confirmed last night.
Virginia Ohlson, a 56-year-old mother, ambulance worker and community volunteer, was attacked by the pitbull and the staffordshire cross while out walking in her home town of Murupara just before 7am on Saturday.
She died in an ambulance on the way to Rotorua Hospital, having suffered shock and trauma from the numerous dog bites.
Helen Clark said today that she would personally like to ban all dangerous dogs.
But she said the official advice received after a previous high profile case was that it was too difficult do define breeds because of cross-breeding.
Speaking on Newstalk ZB, she said of a ban: "Nothing would please me more.
"I think it is horrific that these dogs are running loose anywhere in New Zealand."
Police investigating the death said they were yet to decide what charges might be laid against the dogs' owner, who was said to be devastated by the attack and co-operating fully with the inquiry.
"We are looking at the culpability of the owner," said Detective Senior Sergeant Mark Loper. The fact that they were not registered was "just something we add to the pile of evidence".
He said the owner could be charged with manslaughter if there was evidence of gross negligence on his part.
The weekend attack was the third fatal dog attack since 1997. A fourth person died in 2003 from a single dog bite that was not considered an attack.
Whakatane District Council chief executive Diane Turner confirmed that the dogs, which have been destroyed, were not registered.
She admitted Murupara has dog-control difficulties.
"There's a reasonable degree of avoidance in terms of registration."
Door-to-door registration checks were made occasionally, Ms Turner said, but people were often frightened to complain about troublesome dogs.
About 200 mourners gathered outside Ms Ohlson's house yesterday. Karakia (prayers) and a haka in her backyard welcomed her body home after a post-mortem examination in Auckland.
The mother of their owner (he is known locally as Spider), who reportedly rushed to help Ms Ohlson, waited outside the dead woman's house for most of yesterday afternoon and was at one point welcomed in to offer her condolences. She declined to comment to the Herald.
A woman at the dog owner's house said, when asked if she was sorry, "Sorry is just not enough". She refused to talk about the dogs.
Neighbours and friends of Ms Ohlson said there had been countless stories of the dogs behaving in a menacing way.
The Ohlson family's grief was turning to anger yesterday.
"The dog owners should take responsibility for their actions," said Ms Ohlson's brother, Victor Ohlson. Her sister, Ivy, said the dogs should not have been loose.
Police would not comment on claims that the owner had been warned about the dogs' behaviour.
But Murupara dog control officer Tom Oldridge said he had not issued any warnings to the owner.
Bob Kerridge, chief executive of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Auckland, said the case indicated the Dog Control Act needed to be applied more strictly in some areas.
American pitbull terriers are defined in the act as "menacing", as are the brazilian fila, dogo argentino and japanese tosa.
They must be muzzled in public and cannot be imported. Councils can require them to be neutered.
Mr Kerridge said Britain, Australia and parts of the United States also restricted the breeds.
On The Danger List
* American pitbull terriers are one of four dog types or breeds defined in the Dog Control Act as "menacing".
* The others are the brazilian fila, dogo argentino and japanese tosa.
* They must be muzzled in public and cannot be imported.
* Councils can require them to be neutered.
* Britain, Australia and parts of the US also restrict the breeds.
