Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board member Roddy Pihema stated he hopes to introduce extra training about accountable canine possession to the Far North this 12 months.
Police are investigating the “level of training and care” of the canine that killed a Northland grandmother because the neighborhood rallies to search out options to ongoing points with roaming aggressive dogs.
Nearly three months after Elizabeth “Effie” Whittaker was fatally attacked on her Otiria Rd property in Moerewa whereas attempting to interrupt up a canine struggle, police are persevering with to make inquiries.
A spokesman stated whereas police can not reveal particulars of the investigation together with the breed of the canine accountable or its registration historical past, “police are still investigating the level of the training and care of the dog prior to the incident”.
Meanwhile, the neighborhood has come collectively to search out options to the area’s burgeoning canine issues.
Bay of Islands-Whangaroa Community Board member Roddy Pihema stated about 40 folks turned out to a public hui in Moerewa on November 14 and lots of had issues about roaming dogs.
But essentially the most talked about matter was accountable canine possession, he stated.
“That was the key thing that kept coming up.
“The community realises we need to take accountability for our actions. Isn’t the dog … it’s the owners not taking responsibility for their dogs.
“We’re the ones who bring these dogs into our communities, we have to accept we have a responsibility, like we do to our children.
“To know where our dogs are, that they’re not pestering people or acting aggressively or roaming.
“Would you let your 2-year-old roam the streets alone? Of course you wouldn’t, so why would you let your dog roam the streets?”
Pihema stated folks additionally mentioned getting Far North District Council’s (FNDC) animal administration employees and different related teams into the neighborhood to offer coaching and training for canine homeowners and kids.
“This isn’t about one incident, this is about a long-term issue that’s been here for a very long time,” he stated.
“We’re hoping to educate our children, and are looking at having discussions with schools … because they’re at more risk of being attacked in our community.”
Police have confirmed the canine that attacked Effie on October 12 belonged to the homeowners of the property.
It was shot and killed by a neighbour shortly after the incident.
While it was not roaming, residents say a rise in the number of large, aggressive dogs in the town is causing widespread concern.
Neville Thomson, 69, was additionally mauled by dogs on his property in Pānguru in August 2022, and there have been numerous assaults on folks’s pets and livestock, and experiences of threatening feral dogs, within the Far North.
Meanwhile, the variety of menacing dogs within the district has elevated, together with the quantity of canine assaults, threatening behaviour, and wandering dogs.
FNDC compliance supervisor Rochelle Deane stated the issue was not distinctive to the Far North.
Deane referred to as on canine homeowners to include, register, microchip, desex and take care of their animals, and urged residents to report roaming, aggressive dogs and assaults.
“There needs to be a community response to dog safety rather than the council having to come in and remove dogs.
“Owners need to take responsibility for their dogs.
“The council can educate and assist, but if the dog owner does not do the right thing, attacks will continue to happen.”
The Far North has the highest rate of dog-related injuries within the nation, in line with ACC knowledge.
There had been 427 ACC claims within the 2022-23 12 months – or 5.88 dog-related accidents per 1000 folks per 12 months – which is greater than double the nationwide common and far greater than for Whangārei and Kaipara district councils.
Deane stated knowledge utilized by ACC to measure annual canine assaults exhibits a lot greater totals than the council’s personal statistics.
For instance, in 2022-23, the council recorded simply 86 assaults on folks in comparison with ACC’s recorded 427 dog-related harm claims.
“We believe a key reason for ACC recording higher rates of dog-related injuries is that most dog attacks are not reported to the council because the dogs involved are from the owner’s household or wider family.
“People rarely report their own or their family’s dogs to the council.
“That does not diminish the fact that the Far North does have a high rate of dog attacks on people, on other dogs, and on animals.”
Deane stated there was a “range of reasons” for the excessive fee of assaults within the area.
These embody that many individuals stay in distant areas, that means poorly managed dogs by no means come to the eye of animal administration officers till somebody is harassed by them.
Other components are having dogs that aren’t educated and socialised, not supervising young kids round dogs, and never getting dogs desexed.
“While it is easy to blame the council for not doing enough, the discrepancy between council and ACC statistics proves that this is as much a community problem as an enforcement one – we can only act on incidents that we know about.”
Last 12 months, FNDC issued 506 infringements to canine homeowners who had unregistered dogs.
Deane stated animal administration officers “have now started following up on known unregistered dogs, including site visits to their residence if required”.
“Proactive visits to find unknown dogs will also occur.
“Anyone caught with an unregistered dog may receive an infringement fine of $300 per dog.”
Jenny Ling is a information reporter and options author for the Northern Advocate. She has a particular curiosity in masking well being, roading, life-style, business and animal welfare points.
