By Rachel Helyer Donaldson
File photo.
Photo: 123RF
Kaipara District Mayor Craig Jepson says the rise in dog attacks in Northland is extremely worrying, but the issue must be a top priority for all councils.
A a two-year-old child was seriously injured on Friday when they were attacked at home by a pet in Mangawhai.
Police said the dog belonged to the family and they did not consider the incident suspicious.
It has since been seized by Animal Control and destroyed.
Jepson said councils in the area were working hard to tackle dangerous dogs following a large number of attacks.
“We have had a number of dog attacks in the northern districts and the Far North and it has become an issue that has been at the forefront of all councils trying to deal with the situation. “
He said the Kaipara District Council had been very proactive in tracking down stray dogs and urging forest guards to take them in.
But he admitted it was even more difficult when dogs turned on their owners.
Jepson said there seemed to be a recurring pattern of poorly trained dogs.
He also said children can be very trusting and are vulnerable to bad-tempered dogs.
Jepson said the attack on little Mangawhai was “terrible”.
“My first concern is that this child has been injured and my best wishes go out to the family and the child.”
It’s been a little over a month since a woman was killed by a whānau dog in her garden in Moerewain the Far North.