Kennel Club: Parents must teach kids of dog dangers

A view of 22 Dorset Grove in Porirua, the scene of a dog attack on a young girl on Saturday. Photo / Hagen Hopkins

Dog attacks are inevitable until people have a better understanding of canine behaviour, the head of the New Zealand Kennel Club says.

Club president Owen Dance told Radio New Zealand owners need an awareness of canine behaviour to keep children safe.

"When your child is old enough to understand, you teach it. You teach it dog language and human language are very different. Actions that imply affection between humans, like cuddling, staring into the eyes, or putting your head alongside another head, are in fact very threatening behaviours for dogs. And they will defend themselves."

Mr Dance said until parents have a better understanding of dog behaviour, dog attacks are "inevitable".

"I don't mean to imply I'm not sympathetic to these children who were hurt - it's terrible, but I think it is very significant that it is hard to find an example, I can't think of a single example, of a farmer's child being bitten by a farmer's dog. And in nearly 40 years in the kennel club I have never heard of a kennel club member's child being bitten by one of their dogs.

"Where dogs and children are raised by people who know dogs and children well enough to know how they interact, you are not going to get dog bite incidents."

Third attack in a week

Mr Dance's comments follow a spate of brutal dog attacks on small children over the past week.

A nine-year-old girl was left with deep cuts to her head and arm after being attacked by her neighbour's American bulldog in Rotorua yesterday afternoon.

The dog owner said his partner was walking the two-year-old dog on a lead about 2.30pm, when the dog leapt up and bit the girl, who had been bouncing a ball.

An 18-month-old girl was playing in her backyard on Porirua's Dorset Grove when the family's pitbull-staffordshire cross launched itself at her on Saturday.

She suffered significant injuries to the right side of her face and stomach.

The girl was yesterday in a satisfactory condition after undergoing surgery on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the Hutt Valley District Health Board said.

And on Wednesday, a three-year-old boy was left in a critical condition following an attack in Ashburton.

He was moved to Starship Hospital on Friday and an Auckland District Health Board spokeswoman says the preschooler underwent surgery over the weekend and is in a stable but critical condition in the intensive care unit.

The doberman-staffordshire-bull-terrier which attacked his throat has since been destroyed.
Local Government Minister Nick Smith yesterday told Fairfax Media he would kick start a stalled investigation into dog laws.

Charges may be laid

Police would meet with the council today to determine whether charges would be laid following the Porirua attack.

The dog, on a 5m chain at the time, was seized by Porirua City Council officers shortly after the attack and was due to be put down on Saturday. Two other dogs, of similar breed, remained at the property.

A conviction for failing to control a dog causing injury can carry a three-year jail term and a $20,000 fine.

Sergeant Cam Taylor said the girl's parents were extremely distressed when he arrived.
"They were very upset. The mother was very shaken up and crying.''

A Dorset Grove resident, who did not want to be named, said she was scared of the dogs at the address and the owners.

"They are dangerous dogs. My husband hates them too,'' she said.

Another neighbour said the dogs were often not chained up.