Man in hospital after dog attack

Rotorua Hospital

Animal control officers responding to a dog attack in Clayton Rd found the animal dead when they turned up.

A man was taken to Rotorua Hospital with moderate injuries after the dog attack on Clayton Rd just before midday on Saturday.

The 50-year-old was taken to hospital after the attack with injuries that were not life threatening and bites on his leg and arm.

Police were also called to assist.

St John Lakes manager Hilary MorrishAllen said ambulance staff initially responded to a "safe forward point" as the dog was still roaming the property.

About 25 minutes later they were given clearance to enter the property.

She said situations like dog attacks could be difficult because they didn't want to put staff at risk.

"Dogs pose a particular problem. They don't know we are here to help."

Rotorua Lakes Council compliance solutions manager Neven Hill said animal control was called to the incident but was not required because the dog was dead by the time the arrived.

He was unsure how the dog, which he believed was a pit bull, had died. Initial checks indicated the dog didn't appear to be registered but they would be following that up today.

Mr Hill said they had a pretty successful year in terms of dogs being registered with more than 90 per cent re-registered this year.

He said if people felt there was a dog in their area that was causing a nuisance people could give animal control a call.