A spate of serious dog attacks recently has marred what the Thames-Coromandel District Council had considered a 'positive summer”.

In the past two weeks there have been four dog attacks across the Coromandel – one of which occurred in Tairua and resulted in a man being airlifted to hospital with serious injuries.

There have been four serious dog attacks in the space of two weeks in the Coromandel. Photo: File

The man suffered puncture wounds to the top half of his body after being mauled by a dog which had leapt through his car window on Saturday, January 30. He was airlifted to Waikato Hospital by the Auckland Coromandel Rescue Helicopter in a serious condition.

The dog has since been euthanised.

Thames-Coromandel District Council Community Environment operations manager Barry Smedts says the attacks all related to local dogs with the majority occurring on private property.

'The dog attacks in the past two weeks are extremely disappointing after a very positive summer in our district," says.

'Thousands of additional dogs arrived with visitors and absentee homeowners over the peak holiday period and we have been very fortunate that very few incidents were reported to council or observed by compliance staff patrolling beaches and public places.”

The other attacks include a pack of roaming dogs killing a small dog in Kennedy Bay, and two pig dogs attacking a man on a commercial premise in Whangamata.

In Whitianga, compliance officers who were investigating an incident involving a Rottweiler dog also uncovered three other incidents of the dog acting aggressively towards residents in one street.

While a woman is facing infringements after a dog she was exercising off lead ended up in an altercation with another dog that came out of a property. She also had another dog with her that was classified as menacing but was not wearing a muzzle as required by the Dog Control Act.

'All attacks are currently being investigated by our Compliance Officers and all were avoidable if owners had ensured their dogs were under kept under control,” says Barry.

'The attacks are a reminder to dog owners to control their dogs at all times or face the penalties available to Council under the Dog Control Act 1996.”

Council is currently reviewing its dog control policy and bylaw and received over 400 submissions to the proposal late last year.

For more information visit the Thames-Coromandel District Council website at: www.tcdc.govt.nz/dogs