Most councils had a very limited history of Irish wolfhounds ever appearing on their records.
A spokesman for the Dunedin City Council said Irish wolfhounds are not classified as dangerous or menacing dogs in Dunedin, as well as nationally.
A spokeswoman for Whangarei District Council said it did not have any Irish wolfhounds on the dangerous or menacing dogs list and the last time Whangarei had an Irish wolfhound in the pound was about 11 years ago.
"They are not a dog that we see very often at all," she said.
A dog can be declared menacing if a council thinks it may pose a threat to any person, stock, poultry, domestic animal, or protected wildlife.
This would have to be because of any observed or reported behaviour of the dog, or any characteristics typically associated with the dog's breed or type.
These menacing dogs are required to be muzzled in public and the council could require them to be neutered.
Kelvin Powell, City Safe Unit manager for Hamilton City Council, said there were no Irish wolfhounds registered in Hamilton.
"We have gone through all our records and there have only been 41 Irish wolfhounds ever registered in Hamilton and none of them had a history of aggressive behaviour," he said.
"We only ban dogs because of the behaviour of an individual dog, not by breed (other than the five banned breeds under the Act)."
Christchurch City Council also confirmed that it had not placed a menacing-dog-breed ban on Irish wolfhounds, and while there were six Irish wolfhounds registered in Tauranga, none of them were classified menacing.
Other breeds or types of dogs can be added to the banned five, according to the Dog Control Amendment Act 2003, but only after an Order in Council is agreed by Parliament.
Before recommending such an Order, the Minister of Local Government is required to consult with local government, animal welfare organisations, dog clubs and veterinary practices, as appropriate.
The Dunedin attack victim, who did not want to be identified, required surgery after a dog attack so horrific it was described as "more like a shark attack".
She was delivering the Otago Daily Times in Walter St, in The Glen, about 6.30am yesterday when as many as three Irish wolfhounds set upon her.
Her partner said the attack was so frenzied it left "blood everywhere and pieces of flesh everywhere".
The woman would require multiple operations, including plastic surgery, and it was not yet known if she would walk again, as one of her calf muscles was "virtually all gone", said the man, who did not wish to be identified.
"It's that extreme - it's more like a shark attack," he said.
Two of the dogs were voluntarily euthanised by their owner and the Dunedin City Council's animal services department was investigating the extent of the third dog's role in the attack, the Dunedin District Council said yesterday.
"The dog owner was shaken and distressed by the incident," the council said.
"No further decision will be made [on the third dog's fate] until the DCC officers have spoken to the victim."
Irish wolfhounds are also not on the New Plymouth District Council's list of menacing dogs, a spokesperson said.
" ... as we have never believed that they posed a threat. Added to that is the fact we only have three in all the New Plymouth district, two of which live at the same address."
Auckland Council records show 27 Irish wolfhounds are registered.
None have been classified as menacing or dangerous, a council spokeswoman said.
President of the Wellington Hound Association, Dale Wilkinson, was surprised to hear of the Dunedin attack and said it was "completely out of character" for Irish wolfhounds.
"My daughter owned one until it died, it was a female and they actually used it to look after their baby.
"The dog used to follow the baby around all over the place and when he started to walk ... the dog followed and looked after him. You could find the dog sitting down and the baby sitting down leaning against it. That's how placid they are."
He said the dog was protective of his baby grandson.
"While she didn't growl at you or anything like that, you certainly got the message if you went too close to the baby.
"She used to sleep underneath the bassinet when the baby was tiny and she was always within reach of the child as he got older."
It is a particularly passive breed of dog, Mr Wilkinson said.
He said he had a number of friends that owned Irish wolfhounds and knew two of the top breeders in New Zealand.
"And neither of them have ever had a problem."
Mr Wilkinson said there are not many Irish wolfhounds in New Zealand and has only ever heard of one other violent incident like this.
About 20 or 30 years ago in Wellington, he said, three Irish wolfhounds attacked and killed a golden retriever that was being walked by its owner through a reserve.
The reserve backed on to the house where the Irish wolfhounds lived. The dogs did not harm the woman at all, Mr Wilkinson said.
"They're a very large dog, they're a hunting dog, but they're particularly known for their placid nature," he said.
"They're like a lot of the other breeds - the hunting side is bred out of them because there's nothing for them to hunt."
He owns basset hounds and said when he used to look after his daughter's Irish wolfhound, it mixed with the bassets "no trouble at all".
