A woman who was attacked by two menacing dogs that escaped an Ōpōtiki property is calling for tougher rules.

Awhina Kurei, who spoke to the Ōpōtiki District Council this week, said she was attacked by the dogs on Princess St in the Eastern Bay of Plenty town on September 9.

The dogs were already known to the council and had bitten twice previously.

The owners had been issued five infringement notices and dog control staff had requested police assistance to visit the property.

Kurei received three bites to her legs and says she no longer feels safe on the streets of her hometown.

“I stand before you today as a proud Ōpōtiki uri [descendant], raised and nurtured in the safe streets of this community ... that sense of safety has changed,” Kurei told the council on Tuesday.

The council was hearing submissions on the renewal of its dog control policy.

It received eight submissions that generally supported the policy, but improved public safety was a key theme.

Kurei said control measures needed to be tightened.

“Because behind every dog control statistic is a whānau making decisions about whether it’s safe to walk down their own street, visit their own relatives, focus on their wellbeing or let their children and mokopuna play outside.”

The issue is not only in the Ōpōtiki township, but in rural areas and Te Kaha, she said.

“I know of at least seven whānau who have been bailed up by dogs, including myself.

“Some whose calves [legs] were torn up by dogs that were already known to be aggressive, and some whose dogs have bitten four times before something was done with them.”

Coast Māori ward councillor Pāpā Wharewera acknowledged Kurei’s “articulate and moving presentation”.

“The attack that occurred was by dogs known to council. The dogs had bitten twice before, yet an attack occurred again.

“Nothing in [this policy] gives me confidence that we are addressing the fact that there are dangerous dogs or that they are being dealt with.”

Regulatory manager Jessica Hunter said both dogs had been labelled as menacing.

She said the property was fenced and the dogs were required to be muzzled when taken out in public.

“As it turns out, those dogs were able to jump the fence.”

One of the dogs had since been impounded but the other ran away.

A woman attacked by two council-classified menacing dogs in Ōpōtiki is calling for stricter dog control measures, saying she no longer feels safe walking the streets of her hometown. Photo / 123rf

Under the Dog Control Act, dog control staff were able to uplift and impound dogs if they bit someone, she said.

Having a dog euthanised was a time-consuming process that involved an investigation, she said.

“It’s much more difficult for us. We can’t blanket euthanise any dog that has made an attack ... The amount of work involved is enormous.”

With two fulltime staff covering a large district with 1732 registered dogs, she said council staff were severely under-resourced.

“Our preference is for owners of dogs that have attacked to surrender the dogs to us. It’s a much simpler process.”

Many owners just wanted their dog back.

“So, we go through a process of classifying a dog as menacing or dangerous. Then there are requirements in terms of muzzling and fencing.”

There are 53 classified menacing dogs in the district.

Council chief executive Stace Lewer said there were constraints through the Dog Control Act.

The Government is reviewing the legislation after a spate of attacks across the country.

“It may result in more favourable outcomes for councils and more ability for councils to take a bit more of a hard line without having to jump through a lot of hoops.”

Hunter said the two animal control officers “put their heart and soul into controlling dogs and rehoming them”.

“They can’t be everywhere at once,” she said.

Over the past year they had impounded 200 dogs for a variety of reasons, with 74 rehomed out of the district, 40 returned to their owners, and 75 destroyed. That was 110 fewer than were destroyed in the previous year.

Mayor David Moore said prosecutions would send a message to dog owners who flouted the law. There had been no prosecutions in the past year.

“I do believe there have been some cases where there should have been over the last few years.

“It’s very time consuming and it’s frustrating but it sends a very clear message.”

Moore said he didn’t think adding one more person to the team would make much of a difference.

“Every department needs more staff,” he said.

“It’s a matter of doing something different.”

The council agreed to get together for a workshop on animal control to look into a solution.

LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.