KEY POINTS:
Carolina Anderson, the young girl savaged in a dog attack four years ago, hates operations.
She has had more than 10 in the past few years since her face was ripped apart by an American Staffordshire terrier in a vicious attack in the Cox's Bay Reserve in Auckland in 2003.
Surgeons battled to restore the 7-year-old's face in a 12-hour operation after the dog tore chunks of it out.
Yesterday, as her father, John Anderson, spoke of his anguish at another attack on a 2-year-old Christchurch girl by a Staffordshire-cross dog, he also praised his daughter's courage.
Carolina, now 11, faced more operations although the family did not know how many, he said.
It filled him with pride the way his "gutsy" daughter had handled the attack and her many operations.
"She doesn't like having operations, of which there are still a number ahead."
Mr Anderson had been waging a campaign to have dangerous dogs banned but said yesterday the pro-dog lobby had convinced politicians thata ban was not practical.
After the Christchurch toddler had 290 stitches put in her face, he said the least that should happen was a law change forcing owners to muzzle all dangerous dogs.
The attack on Carolina should not have happened. "These things don't need to happen," said Mr Anderson, who added that he was not a dog hater.
Carolina had her own dog, a lhasa apso, a small breed originally from Tibet.
"It is not a big dog. It is an appropriate dog for a small city property and a small girl."
He said banning vicious dogs would stop attacks on people.
Carolina spent nine days in hospital after the attack but soon after she got home Mr Anderson showed politicians graphic images of her face immediately after the attack.
"Part of it is to show what a dog attack does to a child's head. They are incredibly shocking and these images are not for the general public," he said in 2003.
"I want the politicians to see first hand what none of us ever see and we hope that will make people realise it's not as benign as what you see after people have been treated in hospital."
Shortly after the attack, the family said they had been overwhelmed by the support of hundreds of wellwishers.
Mr Anderson and Carolina's mother, Sandra Fresia, said in 2003 that Carolina faced a long period of rehabilitation. "We must be prepared for restorative surgery to her face for years to come."
- NZPA
