Meter reader's bite surgery

Tauranga meter reader Clive Claridge is calling for more to be done to protect people from dog attacks. Photo/Andrew Warner

A Tauranga meter reader left needing surgery after a vicious dog attack is joining the fight to better protect people from dangerous breeds.

Clive Claridge was caught by surprise when a staffordshire bull terrier charged out of the garage, launched itself at him and latched on to his right forearm as he was heading to the power meter on an unfenced Gate Pa property on February 19 his third attack in five years on the job.

Mr Claridge stumbled backwards and fell on to the grass just out of reach of the dog who was tied up with a long rope.

"She was torn right across here," he told the Bay of Plenty Times gesturing halfway along his forearm. "There was quite a bit of blood at that point."

He was rushed to hospital where he stayed for six nights while doctors took skin from his thigh to graft on to the wound.

Mr Claridge said his concern was that dangerous breeds were allowed as pets.

"There's a lot of accidents waiting to happen," he said. "The big thing is, if it was a kid it could have killed him."

Tauranga City Council environmental compliance manager John Payne said councils only dealt with about 10 per cent of the bites recorded by ACC as most people were bitten by their own dogs.

He has analysed more than 1800 incidents of dog attacks in New Zealand and found bull dog breeds were the worst offenders.

"Without a doubt the dogs that are over-represented by their population in the country are always guarding and fighting dogs. If it's a guarding dog that's what it's going to do. If it's a fighting dog that's what it's going to do."

Mr Payne admitted it was not feasible to ban so many breeds of dogs and the present dog control legislation was workable but said he would continue to take every available chance to lobby the Government to implement better education campaigns for dog owners.

"What I've been trying to do is get some consistency in educating dog owners about the nature of dogs," he said. "We have a tendency to join in and have a hierarchy with dogs. Once you join in you're opening up the hierarchy rules and that means a dog's allowed to challenge."

Tauranga MP Simon Bridges said people should have an "absolute right to go up to other people's doors and enter on to people's properties for the purpose of contacting them."

It came down to dog owners taking responsibility for their animals, he said.

Tauranga City Council animal services team leader Brent Lincoln said the dog responsible for the attack on Mr Claridge was not registered and was put down after the owners surrendered it to the council. The owners of the dog may yet face charges due to the serious nature of the attack.