A close up of one of the dog bites. Photo/supplied
The son of a man bitten in an unprovoked dog attack in Rotorua says the dog will bite again if it's not stopped.
Kun Jiang said his father, who did not want to be named, was biking along Clinkard Ave in Glenholme recently when a dog jumped a fence and started biting him on the leg for no reason.
"The dog just bite, bite, bite and then ran away. No one helped him."
His leg bleeding and in shock, the man got back on his bike and managed to get home and call his son.
"He was in such shock, he nearly had a heart attack. I took him to the hospital and they looked after his wounds and did an ECG. He is 65 years old and they treated him as if he had a heart attack because he was short of breath."
Jiang said his father was so scared after the attack, he didn't want to go outside.
"Sometimes he would wake up with nightmares and call out to me."
Jiang said his father pointed out the house where the dog came from and he went to see the owners, who said they couldn't help him as they didn't see what happened. They didn't admit it was their dog.
He passed the details on to the Rotorua Lakes Council's Animal Control.
Jiang's father was asked to identify the dog in a "line-up" of dogs at the local pound but because of his shocked state, he couldn't recall exactly what the dog looked like.
As a result animal control was unable to prosecute the owners.
Jiang said he was disappointed because many children walked in that area and he feared the dog would attack again.
"I feel unsafe in the community and I'm seriously concerned. If it did that much damage to an adult imagine what it would do to a child. It could easily kill. This dog will bite again."
Animal Control supervisor Kevin Coutts said the council had to be 100 per cent sure it had the right dog before prosecuting an owner.
"This means we need a witness or the victim of an attack to be able to positively identify the dog in question and subsequently give evidence in court. This is usually done by having the victim or the witness point out the dog in a 'line-up' at the Rotorua pound."
Coutts urged owners to ensure their dogs were always secured, whether it was on their property behind a fence or in some type of kennel, or on a leash while out in public.
"Being a responsible owner means following the rules set out in the Dog Control Act, such as ensuring your dog is adequately secured on your property or is under your control, registering your dog each year and desexing breeds identified as menacing."
If a dog has rushed or has bitten someone the best thing to do is report it to the council.
"Our staff are trained to handle these situations and can offer advice and support."
Should someone be faced with a dog they are wary of, they should leave the area and report the dog and where it is to the council as soon as possible.