By ELIZABETH BINNING
Responsible dog owners are getting the cold shoulder from other members of the public following a wave of "anti-dog hysteria".
SPCA chief executive Bob Kerridge said there was a lot of hype about dangerous dogs at the moment and that was affecting responsible owners.
"I have fielded so many calls from really concerned dog owners - good owners with good dogs - who are experiencing all sorts of horrific things."
One caller was walking in a park with her dog, when another person went to extreme measures to avoid her and the dog.
"Somebody saw her and darted off into the bush."
In another case, a woman suddenly found herself with plenty of room on the pavement, as she walked her "staffie" on a lead along Auckland's waterfront.
"Some people were taking quite a wide berth around her ... that's never happened before."
Mr Kerridge said he had received about 50 calls in two days after the wave of publicity about dog attacks and the need for tighter dog control laws.
Many callers were owners of large dogs and felt "very, very concerned" about the possible direction of the anti-dog campaigns.
"I feel for the dog owners, particularly the good dog owners, who are suffering a little bit from the quite unreasonable anti-dog sentiment."
Mr Kerridge said dogs needed to be controlled in public places but recent calls for certain breeds to be muzzled or banned were "over the top".
However the SPCA does consider pit bull terriers to be dangerous.
"As a breed of dog it needs to be taken from our society. It is a potentially dangerous dog, irrespective of the owner."
Ann Byers, president of the Southern Cross Staffordshire Bull Terrier Society, said there was potential for all types of dogs to turn dangerous.
Dogs should be classified as dangerous "by deed not breed".
The New Zealand Kennel Club president, Ray Greer, said banning certain dogs had not worked overseas and was unlikely to work in New Zealand.
He said the key to reducing dog attacks such as the one that left 7-year-old Carolina Anderson with horrific facial injuries, was better enforcement of the present dog control laws and higher penalties for the owners who breached them.
"It's an ownership problem as opposed to a dog problem and it may have to be tackled on two or three fronts.
"The current dog control act is quite sufficient but not policed enough and the penalties are not high enough."
Mr Greer said dog owners needed to be more informed about their responsibilities and the dog control laws. That could be achieved by a licensing system where dog owners had to pass a test before they could own a dog.
Herald feature: When dogs attack
How you can help
A trust fund has been opened for 7-year-old dog attack victim Carolina Anderson. You can send a cheque to: Carolina Anderson Trust Account, BNZ, PO Box 46-294, Herne Bay, or donate over the internet to BNZ account number 020 248 000 3002-000.
The Herald is backing an appeal to raise money for a $150,000 operating-room microscope for Middlemore's plastic surgery unit. The microscope is essential in minute plastic surgery work such as reattaching nerves. Middlemore has two, used on Carolina Anderson and the victims of the Pipiroa sword attack, but they need replacing. Donations can be sent to: The Microsurgery Appeal, Editorial Department, New Zealand Herald, PO Box 706, Auckland.
