Dangerous dog numbers revealed

Dogs can be classified as menacing or as dangerous. Photo/Thinkstock

Thirty-three of the city's 10,294 registered dogs are classified as dangerous and 149 menacing.

And dogs have attacked people 44 times and other animals 81 times in eight months.

The figures were released after the Bay of Plenty Times yesterday reported that the parents of a 4-year-old boy were furious the owners of a dog that attacked their son had charges against them dismissed in Tauranga District Court this week.

The dog, a bull mastiff, left Charlie Pokai, now 5, with significant facial injuries.

The newspaper on Monday also carried the story of meter reader Clive Claridge being attacked. Dog attacks have also been in spotlight this week with an horrific attack on a girl in Murupara.

Tauranga City Council animal services team leader Brent Lincoln said that on average there were fewer than 70 dog attacks on people reported each year but every attack was treated seriously.

Mr Lincoln said the council was reviewing three reported attacks on people which had the potential to result in prosecutions, including the attack on Mr Claridge. The other two cases involved a cyclist in Hairini and a woman in Papamoa.

"Owners need to ensure their dog is kept in such a manner that it cannot bite a person or another animal whether or not the dog is on their own property or out for a walk. The owner can be any person responsible for the dog at the time of an incident," he said.

Mr Lincoln said not all reported attacks warranted prosecution, and the council had other alternatives to resolve complaints, including issuing a warning, an instant fine, and classifying the dog as menacing or dangerous.

An attack was recorded when there was physical contact between the dog and its victim, even if the injury was as minor as a scratch or bruise, and not all reported attacks were substantiated after the investigation.

Mr Lincoln said Judge Thomas Ingram's decision this week to dismiss charges against the owners of the dog which attacked preschooler Charlie Pokai last year was not an opportunity for dog owners to think they would not be liable if an attack occurred.

"Council will continue to prosecute should the outcome indicate it is the most appropriate action given all the circumstances," he said.

A 3-year-old girl was taken to Tauranga Hospital last month after a dog attacked her on Matakana Island. She was treated for dog bites to the back of her head and an investigation by Western Bay of Plenty District Council is ongoing.